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. (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.) 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, “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: (F)Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their [a]produce. 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. (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.’ 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. 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.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 29:5 Lit fruit
  2. Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
  3. Jeremiah 29:7 Or your prosperity will depend on its
  4. Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
  5. Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
  6. Jeremiah 29:11 Lit am planning
  7. Jeremiah 29:11 Or salvation
  8. Jeremiah 29:18 Or whistling
  9. Jeremiah 29:22 Lit taken
  10. Jeremiah 29:23 Or sacrilegiously

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon

29 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.(A) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:(B) Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 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.(C) 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.(D) For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams that you dream,(E) for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.(F)

10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.(G) 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.(H) 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.(I) 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart,(J) 14 I will let you find me, 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.(K)

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 live in this city, your kinsfolk who did not go out with you into exile:(L) 17 Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am going to let loose on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.(M) 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of cursing and horror and hissing and a derision among all the nations where I have driven them,(N) 19 because they did not heed my words, says the Lord, when I persistently sent to them my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, says the Lord.(O) 20 But now, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of the Lord:(P) 21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: I am going to deliver them into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall kill them before your eyes. 22 And on account of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,”(Q) 23 because they have perpetrated outrage in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them; I am the one who knows and bears witness, says the Lord.(R)

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