^11 (A)This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and ^(B)these nations shall serve the king of Babylon ^(C)seventy years. ¹² Then after ^(D)seventy years are completed, ^(E)I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, ^(F)the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, ^(G)making the land an everlasting waste.

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 (A)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 ^(B)pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

¹⁰ “For thus says the Lord: ^(A)When seventy years are completed for Babylon, ^(B)I will visit you, ^(C)and I will fulfill to you my promise ^(D)and bring you back to this place.