24 Yahweh told me to tell Shemayah (the Nehelami) this: 25 Yisrael’s (Israel’s) god, Commander-in-chief Yahweh says this: Because you sent letters in your name to all the people in Yerushalem (Jerusalem), and to the priest Tsefanyah (Zephaniah) (Ma’aseyah’s son), and to all the priests, to tell Tsefanyah:

26 Yahweh has made you, Tsefanyah, priest in place of the priest Yehoyada, to be overseer in Yahweh’s temple over every man who raves out loud, making himself a prophet, and you must put him in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck. 27 So why haven’t you rebuked Yirmiyah (Jeremiah) the Antoti who’s prophesying to you all, 28 because he’s sent a letter to us here in Bavel (Babylon) saying, “Your exile will last a long time. Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.”

29 The priest Tsefanyah read that letter to the prophet Yirmiyah, 30 then Yahweh gave this message to Yirmiyah: 31 Send to all the exiles to tell them: This is what Yahweh says about Shemayah the Nehelami: Because Shemayah has prophesied to you all, even though I didn’t send him, and he made you trust what’s not true, 32 therefore Yahweh says this: Listen, I will punish Shemayah the Nehelami and his descendants. None of his family will live among this people, and he won’t experience the good things that I’ll do for my people, because he’s encouraged rebellion against Yahweh. That is Yahweh’s declaration.