²⁴ To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say, ²⁵ “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You^[a] in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(A) son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶ ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be the chief officer^(B) in the temple of the Lord, responsible for every madman^(C) who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks^(D) and an iron collar. ²⁷ So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who has been acting like a prophet among you?^{(E) 28} For he has sent word to us in Babylon, claiming, “The exile will be long. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.”’” ^(F)

²⁹ The priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah.

³ Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal^(A) son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah^(B) son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, requesting, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf!”

²⁴ The captain of the guards also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three doorkeepers. ²⁵ From the city he took a court official^[a] who had been appointed over the warriors; seven trusted royal aides^[b] found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and sixty men from the common people^[c] who were found within the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land.^(A)