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Jeremiah 29-30
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 29-30
English Standard Version
Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles
29 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to (A)the surviving elders of the exiles, and to (B)the priests, (C)the prophets, and (D)all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after (E)King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of (F)Shaphan and Gemariah the son of (G)Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 (H)Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and (I)pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (J)Do not let your prophets and (K)your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,[a] 9 for (L)it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; (M)I did not send them, declares the Lord.
10 “For thus says the Lord: (N)When seventy years are completed for Babylon, (O)I will visit you, (P)and I will fulfill to you my promise (Q)and bring you back to this place. 11 (R)For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, (S)to give you a future and a hope. 12 (T)Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, (U)and I will hear you. 13 (V)You will seek me and find me, when you seek me (W)with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, (X)and I will restore your fortunes and (Y)gather you from all the nations and all the places (Z)where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ 16 thus says the Lord concerning (AA)the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: 17 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them (AB)sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like (AC)vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with (AD)sword, famine, and pestilence, (AE)and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, (AF)to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations (AG)where I have driven them, 19 because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, (AH)that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’ 20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles (AI)whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, (AJ)who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. 22 (AK)Because of them (AL)this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, (AM)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23 because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, (AN)they have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and (AO)they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. (AP)I am the one who knows, (AQ)and I am witness, declares the Lord.’”
Shemaiah's False Prophecy
24 To (AR)Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: 25 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to (AS)Zephaniah the son of (AT)Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have (AU)charge in the house of the Lord (AV)over every madman who prophesies, to put him in (AW)the stocks and neck irons. 27 Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah (AX)of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; (AY)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”
29 (AZ)Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 (BA)Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning (BB)Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because (BC)Shemaiah had prophesied to you (BD)when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish (BE)Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, (BF)and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, (BG)for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”
Restoration for Israel and Judah
30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (BH)Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 (BI)For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, (BJ)when I will restore (BK)the fortunes of my people, (BL)Israel and Judah, says the Lord, (BM)and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”
4 These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning (BN)Israel and Judah:
5 “Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
of terror, and no peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
can a man bear a child?
(BO)Why then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach (BP)like a woman in labor?
(BQ)Why has every face turned pale?
7 Alas! (BR)That day is so great
(BS)there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it.
8 “And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will (BT)break his (BU)yoke from off your neck, and I will (BV)burst your bonds, (BW)and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.[c] 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and (BX)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 (BY)“Then fear not, (BZ)O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, (CA)I will save you from far away,
(CB)and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
(CC)Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
11 (CD)For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
(CE)I will make a full end of all the nations
among whom I scattered you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
(CF)I will (CG)discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
12 “For thus says the Lord:
(CH)Your hurt is incurable,
(CI)and your wound is grievous.
13 There is none to uphold your cause,
no medicine for your wound,
(CJ)no healing for you.
14 (CK)All your lovers have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you;
for I have dealt you the blow of (CL)an enemy,
the punishment (CM)of a merciless foe,
because your guilt is great,
(CN)because your sins are flagrant.
15 (CO)Why do you cry out over your hurt?
(CP)Your pain is incurable.
Because your guilt is great,
(CQ)because your sins are flagrant,
I have done these things to you.
16 (CR)Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured,
and (CS)all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
(CT)those who plunder you shall be plundered,
(CU)and all who prey on you I will make a prey.
17 (CV)For I will restore (CW)health to you,
and (CX)your wounds I will heal,
declares the Lord,
because (CY)they have called you an outcast:
(CZ)‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’
18 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, (DA)I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt on (DB)its mound,
and the palace shall stand where it used to be.
19 (DC)Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,
and the voices of those who celebrate.
(DD)I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;
I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.
20 (DE)Their children shall be as they were of old,
and their congregation shall be established before me,
and I will punish all who oppress them.
21 (DF)Their prince shall be one of themselves;
(DG)their ruler shall come out from their midst;
(DH)I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,
(DI)for who would dare of himself to approach me?
declares the Lord.
22 (DJ)And you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.”
23 (DK)Behold (DL)the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
24 (DM)The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intentions of his mind.
(DN)In the latter days you will understand this.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 29:8 Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream
- Jeremiah 29:11 Or peace
- Jeremiah 30:8 Or serve him
Jeremiah 29-30
New International Version
Jeremiah 29-30
New International Version
A Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter(A) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.(B) 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin[a](C) and the queen mother,(D) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried(E) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build(F) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.(G) 7 Also, seek(H) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray(I) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets(J) and diviners among you deceive(K) you. Do not listen to the dreams(L) you encourage them to have.(M) 9 They are prophesying lies(N) to you in my name. I have not sent(O) them,” declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years(P) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you(Q) and fulfill my good promise(R) to bring you back(S) to this place. 11 For I know the plans(T) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(U) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(V) 12 Then you will call(W) on me and come and pray(X) to me, and I will listen(Y) to you. 13 You will seek(Z) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.(AA) 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back(AB) from captivity.[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”(AC)
15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16 but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague(AD) against them and I will make them like figs(AE) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent(AF) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse[c](AG) and an object of horror,(AH) of scorn(AI) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,”(AJ) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again(AK) by my servants the prophets.(AL) And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.
20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent(AM) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies(AN) to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned(AO) in the fire.’ 23 For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery(AP) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know(AQ) it and am a witness(AR) to it,” declares the Lord.
Message to Shemaiah
24 Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah(AS) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac(AT) who acts like a prophet into the stocks(AU) and neck-irons. 27 So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28 He has sent this message(AV) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.(AW) Therefore build(AX) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”
29 Zephaniah(AY) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah(AZ) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send(BA) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32 this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.(BB) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good(BC) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion(BD) against me.’”
Restoration of Israel
30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write(BE) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days(BF) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring(BG) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[d] and restore(BH) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Cries of fear(BI) are heard—
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,(BJ)
every face turned deathly pale?(BK)
7 How awful that day(BL) will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble(BM) for Jacob,
but he will be saved(BN) out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke(BO) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;(BP)
no longer will foreigners enslave them.(BQ)
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David(BR) their king,(BS)
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not be afraid,(BT) Jacob my servant;(BU)
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save(BV) you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,(BW)
and no one will make him afraid.(BX)
11 I am with you(BY) and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy(BZ) you.
I will discipline(CA) you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’(CB)
12 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wound(CC) is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.(CD)
13 There is no one to plead your cause,(CE)
no remedy for your sore,
no healing(CF) for you.
14 All your allies(CG) have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy(CH) would
and punished you as would the cruel,(CI)
because your guilt is so great
and your sins(CJ) so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?(CK)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.(CL)
16 “‘But all who devour(CM) you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.(CN)
Those who plunder(CO) you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal(CP) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,(CQ)
Zion for whom no one cares.’(CR)
18 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes(CS) of Jacob’s tents(CT)
and have compassion(CU) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt(CV) on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs(CW) of thanksgiving(CX)
and the sound of rejoicing.(CY)
I will add to their numbers,(CZ)
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,(DA)
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children(DB) will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established(DC) before me;
I will punish(DD) all who oppress them.
21 Their leader(DE) will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.(DF)
I will bring him near(DG) and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,(DH)
and I will be your God.(DI)’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
- Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
- Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.