JEREMIAH 29 [†]These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to  i the surviving elders of the exiles, and to  j the priests,  j the prophets, and  j all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2[†]This was after  k King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3[†]The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of  l Shaphan and Gemariah the son of  m Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5[†] n Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6Take 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. 7[†]But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and  o pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8[^][†]For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:  p Do not let your prophets and  q your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, [1] 9for  r it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name;  s I did not send them, declares the LORD.

10[^][†]“For thus says the LORD:  t When seventy years are completed for Babylon,  u I will visit you,  v and I will fulfill to you my promise  v and bring you back to this place. 11[†] w For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare [2] and not for evil,  x to give you a future and a hope. 12[†] y Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,  y and I will hear you. 13[^][†] z You will seek me and find me, when you seek me  a with all your heart. 14[^][†]I will be found by you, declares the LORD,  b and I will restore your fortunes and  c gather you from all the nations and all the places  d where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

15[†]“Because you have said, ‘The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ 16thus says the LORD concerning  e the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: 17‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, behold, I am sending on them  f sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like  g vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. 18[†]I will pursue them with  f sword, famine, and pestilence,  h and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth,  i to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations  d where I have driven them, 19[†]because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the LORD,  j that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the LORD.’ 20[†]Hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles  k whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21[†]‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah,  l who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. 22 m Because of them  n this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab,  o whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23[†]because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel,  p they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and  p they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them.  q I am the one who knows,  q and I am witness, declares the LORD.’”

24[†]To  r 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  s Zephaniah the son of  t Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26[†]‘The LORD has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have  u charge in the house of the LORD  v over every madman who prophesies, to put him in  w the stocks and neck irons. 27[†]Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah  x of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long;  y build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”

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