29 The prophet Yirmiyah (Jeremiah) sent a letter from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) to the remainder of the elders of the exile, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people that Nevukadnetsar (Nebuchadnezzar) had exiled from Yerushalem to Bavel (Babylon)[ref] 2 after the removal from Yerushalem of King Yekaneyah and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Yehudah (Judah) and Yerushalem, plus the craftsmen and the metalsmiths. 3 He sent it with Shafan’s son Eleasah and Hilkiyah’s son Gemaryah, who Yehudah’s King Tsidkiyah (Zedekiah) sent to the Babylonian King Nevukadnetsar in Bavel. The letter said,

4 Yisrael’s (Israel’s) god, Commander-in-chief Yahweh says this to all of you that I’ve exiled from Yerushalem to Bavel: 5 Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Marry and have children. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they also have children. Increase in number there—don’t become fewer. 7 In addition, the city that I’ve sent you all into exile to, work to make it more prosperous and pray to Yahweh for it, because if it prospers, its prosperity will belong to all of you. 8 That’s because Yisrael’s god, Commander-in-chief Yahweh says this: Don’t let your prophets and diviners who are among you deceive you, and don’t listen to your dreams that you wishfully dream, 9 because those prophets are prophesying using my name but not being truthful—I didn’t send them. That is Yahweh’s declaration.

10 “Because this is what Yahweh says: When seventy years have passed for Bavel,[ref] I’ll visit take notice of you all again, and I’ll implement my good message about you—to bring you all back to this place, 11 because I know the plans that I have for you all: plans for peaceful well-being—not to bring you all harm, but rather a future with hope. That is Yahweh’s declaration. 12 Then you’ll all call out to me for help, and you’ll come and pray to me, and I’ll listen to you all. 13 You’ll search for me, and you’ll find me, because you’ll all want to follow me with complete sincerity.[ref] 14 Then, Yahweh has declared, I’ll let myself be found by you all, and I’ll bring you back from captivity. I’ll gather you all from all the nations and all the places that I banished you to, and I’ll bring you all back to the place that I sent you into exile from. That is Yahweh’s declaration.

15 Because you’ve all said that Yahweh has appointed prophets for you there in Bavel, 16 then Yahweh has something to say about the king sitting on David’s throne and about all the people living in this city—your relatives who didn’t go into exile with you. 17 So Commander-in-chief Yahweh says: Listen, I’m about to send war, famine and deadly diseases against them. I’ll make them like rotten figs that are so bad they’re inedible. 18 Yes, I’ll chase after them with war, famine, and deadly diseases, and I’ll make them become a horror to all the world’s kingdoms—a curse and a desolation, and a reproach and something to be hissed at by all the nations where I’ve driven them, 19 because they didn’t listen to my messages that I sent to them over and over again via my servants the prophets, but all you exiles didn’t listen. That is Yahweh’s declaration.

20 ⇔But all you exiles that I sent away from Yerushalem (Jerusalem) to Bavel, listen to Yahweh’s message:

21 Yisrael’s (Israel’s) god, Commander-in-chief Yahweh, says this about Kolayah’s son Ahav and Ma’aseyah’s son Tsidkiyah (Zedekiah), who are both prophesying untruths to you in my name: Listen, I’m handing them over to the Babylonian King Nevukadnetsar (Nebuchadnezzar), and he’ll kill them right in front of you. 22 Then because of them, a new curse phrase will be taken on by all the Jewish exiles in Bavel, which goes, “May Yahweh make you like Tsidkiyah and Ahav, who were roasted in the fire by the Babylonian king,” 23 because they did something shameful in Yisrael and they have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbours, and they spoke untrue messages in my name that I hadn’t commanded them to. I am the one who knows that and I’m a witness. That is Yahweh’s declaration.