1 Now these are the words of the A2 Chr 30:1, 6; Esth 9:20; Jer 29:25, 29letter 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. 2 (This was after King A2 Kin 24:12-16; 2 Chr 36:9, 10; Jer 22:24-28; 24:1; 27:20Jeconiah and the B2 Kin 24:12, 15; Jer 13:18; 22:26queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of A1 Chr 6:13Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 “Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have AJer 24:5sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘AJer 29:28Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their 1Lit fruitproduce. 6  ‘Take AJer 16:2-4wives and 1Lit begetbecome the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7  ‘ADan 4:27; 6:4, 5Seek the 1Or peacewelfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and BEzra 6:10; 7:23; Dan 4:19; 1 Tim 2:1, 2pray to the Loʀᴅ on its behalf; for in its 1Or peacewelfare you will have 1Or peacewelfare.’ 8  “For thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your AJer 27:9; 29:1prophets who are in your midst and your diviners BJer 14:14; 23:21; 27:14, 15; 28:15; Eph 5:6deceive you, and do not listen to 1Lit yourCJer 23:25, 27the dreams which 2Lit youthey dream. 9  ‘For they AJer 27:15; 29:21prophesy falsely to you in My name; BJer 29:31I have not sent them,’ declares the Loʀᴅ.

10 “For thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘When A2 Chr 36:21-23; Jer 25:12; 27:22; Dan 9:2; Zech 7:5seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My BJer 24:6, 7; Zeph 2:7good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11  ‘For I know the APs 40:5; Jer 23:5, 6; 30:9, 10plans that I 1Lit am planninghave for you,’ declares the Loʀᴅ, ‘plans for BIs 40:9-11; Jer 30:18-22welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a CJer 31:17; Hos 2:15hope. 12  ‘Then you will APs 50:15; Jer 33:3; Dan 9:3call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will BPs 145:19listen to you. 13  ‘You will ADeut 4:29; Ps 32:6; Matt 7:7seek Me and find Me when you B1 Chr 22:19; 2 Chr 22:9; Jer 24:7search for Me with all your heart. 14  ‘I will be ADeut 30:1-10; Ps 32:6; Is 55:6found by you,’ declares the Loʀᴅ, ‘and I will BJer 30:3; 32:37-41restore your 1Or captivityfortunes and will CIs 43:5, 6; Jer 23:8; 32:37gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Loʀᴅ, ‘and I will DJer 3:14; 12:15; 16:15bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

15 “Because you have said, ‘The Loʀᴅ has raised up AJer 29:21, 24prophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for thus says the Loʀᴅ concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did AJer 38:2, 3, 17-23not go with you into exile— 17 thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the AJer 27:8; 29:18; 32:24sword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like BJer 24:3, 8-10split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18  ‘I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will ADeut 28:25; 2 Chr 29:8; Jer 15:4; 24:9; 34:17; Ezek 12:15make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a BIs 65:15; Jer 42:18curse and a horror and a CJer 25:9; Lam 2:15, 16hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have AJer 6:19not listened to My words,’ declares the Loʀᴅ, ‘which I sent to them again and again by BJer 25:4; 26:5; 35:15My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Loʀᴅ. 20  “You, therefore, hear the word of the Loʀᴅ, all you exiles, whom I have AJer 24:5; Ezek 11:9; Mic 4:10sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 “Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are AJer 14:14, 15; 29:8, 9; Lam 2:14; 2 Pet 2:1prophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes. 22  ‘Because of them a AIs 65:15curse will be 1Lit takenused by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May the Loʀᴅ make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon BDan 3:6, 21roasted in the fire, 23 because they have AGen 34:7; 2 Sam 13:12acted foolishly in Israel, and BJer 5:8; 23:14have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have CJer 29:8, 9, 21spoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who DProv 5:21; Jer 7:11; 16:17; Mal 3:5; Heb 4:13knows and am a witness,” declares the Loʀᴅ.’ ”

24 To AJer 29:31, 32Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, 25 “Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have sent AJer 29:1letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to B2 Kin 25:18; Jer 21:1; 29:29; 37:3; 52:24Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Loʀᴅ has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the 1Lit overseersAJer 20:1overseer in the house of the Loʀᴅ over every B2 Kin 9:11; Hos 9:7; Mark 3:21; John 10:20; Acts 26:24, 25; 2 Cor 5:13madman who CDeut 13:1-5; Zech 13:1-5prophesies, to DJer 20:1, 2; Acts 16:24put him in the stocks and in the iron collar, 27 now then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of AJer 1:1Anathoth who prophesies to you? 28  “For he has AJer 29:1sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be BJer 29:10long; CJer 29:5build houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their 1Lit fruitproduce.’ ” ’ ”

29 AJer 29:25Zephaniah the priest read this letter 1Lit in the ears ofto Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then came the word of the Loʀᴅ to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send to AJer 29:20all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Loʀᴅ concerning BJer 29:24Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has CJer 14:14, 15; 29:9, 23; Ezek 13:8-16, 22, 23prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has DJer 28:15made you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore thus says the Loʀᴅ, “Behold, I am about to AJer 36:31punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his 1Lit seeddescendants; he will B1 Sam 2:30-34; Jer 22:30not have anyone living among this people, C2 Kin 7:2, 19, 20; Jer 17:6; 29:10and he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares the Loʀᴅ, “because he has 2Lit spokenDDeut 13:5; Jer 28:16preached rebellion against the Loʀᴅ.” ’ ”