Jeremiah 29–31

JEREMIAH’S LETTER TO THE EXILES

29This is the text of the letterⁿ that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining exiled elders, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar^o had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²This was after King Jeconiah,^Ap the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem. ³He sent the letter with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah,^q whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter stated:

⁴This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵“Build houses and live in them.^r Plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.^{s 7}Pursue the well-being^B of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf,^t for when it thrives, you will thrive.”

⁸For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you^u and your diviners deceive you,^v and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them, ⁹for they are prophesying falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them.”^a This is the Lord’s declaration.

¹⁰For this is what the Lord says: “When seventy years for Babylon are complete,^b I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans I have for you”^c—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.^{d 13}You will seek me^e and find me when you search for me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes^Af and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place from which I deported you.”^g

¹⁵You have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon!” ¹⁶But this is what the Lord says concerning the king sitting on David’s throne^h and concerning all the people living in this city—that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile. ¹⁷This is what the Lord of Armies says: “I am about to send sword, famine, and plague against them,ⁱ and I will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad. ¹⁸I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations^j where I have banished them.^{k 19}I will do this because they have not listened to my words”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the words that I sent to them with my servants the prophets time and time again.^Bl And you too have not listened.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

²⁰Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.^{m 21}This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in my name:ⁿ “I am about to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes. ²²Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse^o that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’^{p 23}because they have committed an outrage^q in Israel by committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken in my name a lie, which I did not command them. I am he who knows, and I am a witness.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

²⁴To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say, ²⁵“This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You^C in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^r son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be the chief officer^s in the temple of the Lord, responsible for every madman^t who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks^u and an iron collar. ²⁷So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who has been acting like a prophet among you?^{v 28}For he has sent word to us in Babylon, claiming, “The exile will be long. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.” ’ ”^w

²⁹The priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah.

A MESSAGE ABOUT SHEMAIAH

³⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send a message to all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie,^{x 32}this is what the Lord says: I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be even one of his descendants living among these people,^y nor will any ever see the good that I will bring to my people—this is the Lord’s declaration—for he has preached rebellion against the Lord.’ ”^z

RESTORATION FROM CAPTIVITY

30This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Write on a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you,^{a 3}for look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will restore the fortunes^A of my people Israel and Judah,”^b says the Lord. “I will restore them to the land I gave to their ancestors and they will possess it.”

⁴These are the words the Lord spoke to Israel and Judah. ⁵This is what the Lord says:

We have heard a cry of terror,

of dread—there is no peace.

⁶Ask and see

whether a male can give birth.

Why then do I see every man

with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor

and every face turned pale?^c

⁷How awful that day will be!^d

There will be no other like it!^e

It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,

but he will be saved out of it.

⁸On that day—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—

I will break his yoke from your neck^f

and tear off your chains,^g

and strangers will never again enslave him.^h

⁹They will serve the Lord their God

and David their king,

whom I will raise up for them.ⁱ

¹⁰As for you, my servant Jacob,^j

do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration—

and do not be discouraged, Israel,

for without fail I will save you out of a distant place,

your descendants, from the land of their captivity!

Jacob will return and have calm and quiet

with no one to frighten him.^k

¹¹For I will be with you—this is the Lord’s declaration—

to save you!^l

I will bring destruction on all the nations

where I have scattered you;

however, I will not bring destruction on you.

I will discipline you justly,

and I will by no means leave you unpunished.^m

HEALING ZION’S WOUNDS

¹²For this is what the Lord says:

Your injury is incurable;

your wound most severe.ⁿ

¹³You have no defender for your case.^o

There is no remedy for your sores,

and no healing for you.^A

¹⁴All your lovers have forgotten you;^p

they no longer look for you,

for I have struck you as an enemy would,

with the discipline^q of someone cruel,^r

because of your enormous guilt

and your innumerable sins.

¹⁵Why do you cry out about your injury?

Your pain has no cure!

I have done these things to you

because of your enormous guilt

and your innumerable sins.^s

¹⁶Nevertheless, all who devoured you will be devoured,^t

and all your adversaries—all of them—

will go off into exile.

Those who plunder you will be plundered,

and all who raid you will be raided.^u

¹⁷But I will bring you health^v

and will heal you of your wounds—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

for they call you Outcast,

Zion whom no one cares about.

RESTORATION OF THE LAND

¹⁸This is what the Lord says:

I will certainly restore the fortunes^B of Jacob’s tents^w

and show compassion^x on his dwellings.

Every city will be rebuilt on its mound;

every citadel will stand on its proper site.

¹⁹Thanksgiving will come out of them,

a sound of rejoicing.

I will multiply them, and they will not decrease;^a

I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant.

²⁰His children will be as in past days;

his congregation will be established in my presence.

I will punish all his oppressors.^b

²¹Jacob’s leader will be one of them;

his ruler will issue from him.

I will invite him to me, and he will approach me,^c

for who would otherwise risk his life to approach me?

This is the Lord’s declaration.

²²You will be my people,

and I will be your God.^d

THE WRATH OF GOD

²³Look, a storm from the Lord!^e

Wrath has gone out,

a churning storm.

It will whirl about the heads of the wicked.

²⁴The Lord’s burning anger will not turn back

until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart.

In time to come you will understand it.^f

GOD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS PEOPLE

31“At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel,^g and they will be my people.”

²This is what the Lord says:

The people who survived the sword

found favor in the wilderness.^h

When Israel went to find rest,ⁱ

³the Lord appeared to him^A from far away.

I have loved you with an everlasting love;^j

therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.^k

⁴Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt,

Virgin Israel.^l

You will take up your tambourines again^m

and go out in joyful dancing.

⁵You will plant vineyards againⁿ

on the mountains of Samaria;

the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.^o

⁶For there will be a day when watchmen will call out

in the hill country of Ephraim,

“Come, let’s go up to Zion,^p

to the Lord our God!”

GOD’S PEOPLE BROUGHT HOME

⁷For this is what the Lord says:

Sing with joy for Jacob;

shout for the foremost of the nations!

Proclaim, praise, and say,

“Lord, save your people,^q

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