Shemaiah’s Letter to Zephaniah the Priest

24 And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall say, ⌊saying⌋,x 25 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ⌊saying⌋,y ‘Because you yourself sent a letterz 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⌋,a 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⌋b he has sent to us in Babylon, ⌊saying⌋,c ‘It will be a long time, build houses and live in them,d and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ” ’ ” 29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ⌊hearing⌋e of Jeremiah the prophet.

Jeremiah’s Response to Shemaiah’s Letter

30 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, ⌊saying⌋,f 31 “Send to all the exiles,g ⌊saying⌋,h ‘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⌋i 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⌋j Yahweh, “For he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.” ’ ”