Shemaiah's False Prophecy

24 To (A)Shemaiah of Nehelam 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 (B)Zephaniah the son of (C)Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have (D)charge in the house of the Lord (E)over every madman who prophesies, to put him in (F)the stocks and neck irons. 27 Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah (G)of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; (H)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”

29 (I)Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 (J)Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning (K)Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because (L)Shemaiah had prophesied to you (M)when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish (N)Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, (O)and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, (P)for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”

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Shemaiah’s Letter to Zephaniah the Priest

24 And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall say, saying,[a] 25 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying,[b] ‘Because you yourself sent a letter[c] in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,[d] 26 “Yahweh made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there are overseers in the house of Yahweh over any mad man who exhibits the behavior of a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the neck iron, 27 and so then why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite who exhibits the behavior of a prophet for you? 28 Because[e] he has sent to us in Babylon, saying,[f] ‘It will be a long time, build houses and live in them,[g] and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”’” 29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing[h] of Jeremiah the prophet.

Jeremiah’s Response to Shemaiah’s Letter

30 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[i] 31 “Send to all the exiles,[j] saying,[k] ‘Thus says Yahweh concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I have not sent him, and he has made you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore[l] thus says Yahweh, “Look, I am going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There will not be for him a man who lives in the midst of this people, and he will not see the good that I am going to do to my people,” declares[m] Yahweh, “For he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 29:24 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 29:25 Literally “to say”
  3. Jeremiah 29:25 Hebrew “letters”
  4. Jeremiah 29:25 Literally “to say”
  5. Jeremiah 29:28 Literally “Seeing that unto thus”
  6. Jeremiah 29:28 Literally “to say”
  7. Jeremiah 29:28 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  8. Jeremiah 29:29 Literally “ears”
  9. Jeremiah 29:30 Literally “to say”
  10. Jeremiah 29:31 Hebrew “exile”
  11. Jeremiah 29:31 Literally “to say”
  12. Jeremiah 29:32 Literally “to thus”
  13. Jeremiah 29:32 Literally “a declaration of”