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.) ³He 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:

⁴This 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. ⁶Marry 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) ⁷Also, 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.” ⁸Yes, 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) ⁹They are prophesying lies^(N) to you in my name. I have not sent^(O) them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰This 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. ¹¹For 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) ¹²Then you will call^(W) on me and come and pray^(X) to me, and I will listen^(Y) to you. ¹³You will seek^(Z) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.^(AA) ¹⁴I 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)

¹⁵You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” ¹⁶but 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— ¹⁷yes, 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. ¹⁸I 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. ¹⁹For 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.

²⁰Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent^(AM) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²¹This 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. ²²Because 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.’ ²³For 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

²⁴Tell 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. ²⁷So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸He 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.’”

²⁹Zephaniah^(AY) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰Then 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, ³²this 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. ³The 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.”

⁴These 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.
⁶Ask 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)
⁷How 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)
⁹Instead, 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)
¹¹I 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)
¹³There is no one to plead your cause,^(CE)
    no remedy for your sore,
    no healing^(CF) for you.
¹⁴All 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.
¹⁵Why 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.
¹⁷But 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.
¹⁹From 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.
²⁰Their 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.
²¹Their 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)’”

²³See, the storm^(DJ) of the Lord
    will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
    on the heads of the wicked.
²⁴The fierce anger^(DK) of the Lord will not turn back^(DL)
    until he fully accomplishes
    the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
    you will understand^(DM) this.

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

Proverbs 2

New International Version

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2 My son,^(A) if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
²turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding^(B)—
³indeed, if you call out for insight^(C)
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,^(D)
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.^(E)
⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;^(F)
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^(G)
⁷He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield^(H) to those whose walk is blameless,^(I)
⁸for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.^(J)

⁹Then you will understand^(K) what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,^(L)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.^(M)

¹²Wisdom will save^(N) you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
¹³who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,^(O)
¹⁴who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,^(P)
¹⁵whose paths are crooked^(Q)
    and who are devious in their ways.^(R)

¹⁶Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,^(S)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.^[a]^(T)
¹⁸Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.^(U)
¹⁹None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.^(V)

²⁰Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright will live in the land,^(W)
    and the blameless will remain in it;
²²but the wicked^(X) will be cut off from the land,^(Y)
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.^(Z)

Footnotes

Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God

Revelation 11

New International Version

The Two Witnesses

11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod^(A) and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. ²But exclude the outer court;^(B) do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.^(C) They will trample on the holy city^(D) for 42 months.^(E) ³And I will appoint my two witnesses,^(F) and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,^(G) clothed in sackcloth.”^(H) ⁴They are “the two olive trees”^(I) and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”^[a]^(J) ⁵If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.^(K) This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.^(L) ⁶They have power to shut up the heavens^(M) so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying;^(N) and they have power to turn the waters into blood^(O) and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

⁷Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast^(P) that comes up from the Abyss^(Q) will attack them,^(R) and overpower and kill them. ⁸Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city^(S)—which is figuratively called Sodom^(T) and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified.^(U) ⁹For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation^(V) will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.^(W) ¹⁰The inhabitants of the earth^(X) will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts,^(Y) because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹But after the three and a half days^(Z) the breath^[b] of life from God entered them,^(AA) and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. ¹²Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”^(AB) And they went up to heaven in a cloud,^(AC) while their enemies looked on.

¹³At that very hour there was a severe earthquake^(AD) and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory^(AE) to the God of heaven.^(AF)

¹⁴The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.^(AG)

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,^(AH) and there were loud voices^(AI) in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,^(AJ)
and he will reign for ever and ever.”^(AK)

¹⁶And the twenty-four elders,^(AL) who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces^(AM) and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying:

“We give thanks^(AN) to you, Lord God Almighty,^(AO)
    the One who is and who was,^(AP)
because you have taken your great power
    and have begun to reign.^(AQ)
¹⁸The nations were angry,^(AR)
    and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,^(AS)
    and for rewarding your servants the prophets^(AT)
and your people who revere your name,
    both great and small^(AU)—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹Then God’s temple^(AV) in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.^(AW) And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,^(AX) an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.^(AY)

Footnotes

Revelation 11:4 See Zech. 4:3,11,14.
Revelation 11:11 Or Spirit (see Ezek. 37:5,14)

New International Version (NIV)

Jeremiah 29-30

New International Version

A Letter to the Exiles

Message to Shemaiah

Restoration of Israel

Footnotes

Cross references

Proverbs 2

New International Version

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

Footnotes

Cross references

Revelation 11

New International Version

The Two Witnesses

The Seventh Trumpet

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Bible Gateway Recommends

Jeremiah 29-30 New International Version

A Letter to the Exiles

Message to Shemaiah

Restoration of Israel

Footnotes

Cross references

Proverbs 2 New International Version

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

Footnotes

Cross references

Revelation 11 New International Version

The Two Witnesses

The Seventh Trumpet

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Bible Gateway Recommends

Jeremiah 29-30

New International Version

Proverbs 2

New International Version

Revelation 11

New International Version