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)

Purim Established

²⁰ Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far,

²² Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.^(A)

²³ With them they sent the following letter:

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^(A) 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^(B) who acts like a prophet into the stocks^(C) 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^(D) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^(E) Therefore build^(F) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

²⁹ Zephaniah^(G) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet.