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.”’”