Jeremiah 29
New American Standard Bible
Message to the Exiles
29 Now these are the words of the (A)letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King (B)Jeconiah and the (C)queen mother, the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of (D)Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I have (E)sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘(F)Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their [a]produce. 6 Take (G)wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease. 7 (H)Seek the [b]prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile, and (I)pray to the Lord in its behalf; for [c]in its [d]prosperity will be your [e]prosperity.’ 8 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Do not let your (J)prophets who are in your midst or your diviners (K)deceive you, and do not listen to their interpretations of (L)your dreams which you dream. 9 For they (M)prophesy falsely to you in My name; (N)I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.
10 “For this is what the Lord says: ‘When (O)seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My (P)good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the (Q)plans that I [f]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for [g](R)prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a (S)hope. 12 Then you will (T)call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will (U)listen to you. 13 And you will (V)seek Me and find Me when you (W)search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will let Myself be (X)found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (Y)restore your fortunes and (Z)gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (AA)bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up (AB)prophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did (AC)not go with you into exile— 17 this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the (AD)sword, famine, and plague; and I will make them like (AE)rotten figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will (AF)make them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a (AG)curse and an object of horror and [h](AH)hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have (AI)not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by (AJ)My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. 20 ‘You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have (AK)sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are (AL)prophesying to you falsely in My name: “Behold, I am going to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your eyes. 22 Because of them a (AM)curse will be [i]used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon (AN)roasted in the fire,’ 23 because they (AO)acted [j]foolishly in Israel, and (AP)committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and falsely (AQ)spoke words in My name which I did not command them. I am He who (AR)knows, and a witness,” declares the Lord.’”
24 Now you shall speak to (AS)Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have sent (AT)letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to (AU)the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the [k](AV)overseer of the house of the Lord for every (AW)insane person who (AX)prophesies, to (AY)put him in the stocks and in the iron collar. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of (AZ)Anathoth who prophesies to you, 28 seeing that he has (BA)sent word to us in Babylon, saying, ‘[l]The exile will be (BB)long; (BC)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their [m]produce’?”’”
29 Now (BD)Zephaniah the priest read this letter [n]to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send word to (BE)all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning (BF)Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has (BG)prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has (BH)made you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to (BI)punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [o]descendants; he will (BJ)not have anyone living among this people, (BK)and he will not see the good that I am going to do for My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has (BL)spoken falsely against the Lord.”’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 29:5 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or your prosperity will depend on its
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
- Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
- Jeremiah 29:11 Lit am planning
- Jeremiah 29:11 Or salvation
- Jeremiah 29:18 Or whistling
- Jeremiah 29:22 Lit taken
- Jeremiah 29:23 Or sacrilegiously
- Jeremiah 29:26 Lit overseers
- Jeremiah 29:28 Lit It
- Jeremiah 29:28 Lit fruit
- Jeremiah 29:29 Lit in the ears of
- Jeremiah 29:32 Lit seed
Jeremiah 29
Revised Standard Version
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon
29 These are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the elders[a] of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnez′zar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconi′ah, and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Ela′sah the son of Shaphan and Gemari′ah the son of Hilki′ah, whom Zedeki′ah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnez′zar 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 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 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: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream,[b] 9 for it is a lie which they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.
10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfil to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says 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 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 sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs which are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they did not heed my words, says the Lord, which I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, says the Lord.’— 20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolai′ah and Zedeki′ah the son of Ma-asei′ah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrez′zar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22 Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedeki′ah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23 because they have committed folly in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words which I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, says the Lord.’”
The Letter of Shemaiah
24 To Shemai′ah of Nehel′am 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 Zephani′ah the son of Ma-asei′ah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoi′ada the priest, to have charge in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and collar. 27 Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of An′athoth who is prophesying to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”
29 Zephani′ah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemai′ah of Nehel′am: Because Shemai′ah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemai′ah of Nehel′am and his descendants; he shall not have any one living among this people to see[c] the good that I will do to my people, says the Lord, for he has talked rebellion against the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 29:1 Gk: Heb the rest of the elders
- Jeremiah 29:8 Cn: Heb your dreams which you cause to dream
- Jeremiah 29:32 Gk: Heb and he shall not see
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.