1   Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, to the priests and prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadrezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2   after King

A rising against Nebuchadrezzar checked Jeconiah had left Jerusalem with the queen mother and the eunuchs, the officers of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths. ^note 3   The prophet entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadrezzar. 4   This is what he wrote: These are the words of the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel: To all the exiles whom I have carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5   Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6   Marry wives and beget sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters and you may increase there and not dwindle away. 7   Seek the welfare of any city to which I have carried you off, and pray to the Lord for it; on its welfare your welfare will depend. 8   For these are the words of the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel: Do not be deceived by the prophets or the diviners among you, and do not listen to the wise women whom you set to dream dreams. 9   They prophesy falsely to you in my name; I did not send them. This is the very word of the Lord.

10   These are the words of the Lord: When a full seventy years has passed over Babylon, I will take up your cause and fulfil the promise of good things I made you, by bringing you back to this place. 11   I alone know my purpose for you, says the Lord: prosperity and not misfortune, and a long line of children after you. 12   If you invoke me ^note and pray to me, I will listen to you: 13   when you seek me, you shall find me; 14    ^note if you search with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord. I will restore your fortunes and gather you again from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you, says the Lord, and bring you back to the place from which I have carried you into exile.

15   You say that the Lord has raised up prophets for you in Babylon. 16   These are the words of the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David and all the people who live in this city, your fellow-countrymen who have not gone into exile with you. 17   These are the words of the Lord of Hosts: I bring upon them sword, famine, and pestilence, and make them like rotten figs, too bad to be eaten. 18   I pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and make them repugnant to all the kingdoms of the earth, an object of execration and horror, of derision and reproach, among all the nations to which I have banished them. 19   Just as they did not listen to my words, says the Lord, when I took pains to send them my servants the prophets, so you did not listen, says the Lord. 20   But now, you exiles whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon, listen to the words of the Lord. 21   These are the words of the

A rising against Nebuchadrezzar checked Lord of Hosts the God of Israel concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name. I will hand them over to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your eyes. 22   Their names shall be used by all the exiles of Judah in Babylon when they curse a man; they shall say, May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire! 23   For their conduct in Israel was an outrage: they committed adultery with other men's wives, and without my authority prophesied in my name, and what they prophesied was false. I know; I can testify. This is the very word of the Lord.

24    25   To Shemaiah the Nehelamite. ^noteThese are the words of the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel: You have sent a letter in your own name ^note to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, ^note in which you say: 26   ‘The Lord has appointed you to be priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, and it is your duty, as officer ^note in charge of the Lord's house, to put every madman who sets up as a prophet into the stocks and the pillory. 27   Why, then, have you not reprimanded Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet before you? 28   On the strength of this he has sent to us in Babylon and said, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their produce.”’ 29   Zephaniah the priest read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet, and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 30    31   Send and tell all the exiles that these are the words of the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has led you to trust in false prophecies, these are now the words of the Lord: 32   I will punish Shemaiah and his children. He shall have no one to take his place in this nation and enjoy the prosperity which I will bestow on my people, says the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.

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