Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon

29 And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the exiles,a and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2 after the going out of Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artisans,b and the smithsc from Jerusalem, 3 by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, the king of Judah, sent to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to Babylon, ⌊saying⌋,d 4 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exilese whom I have deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them,f and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take for your sons wives, and give your daughters to men that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and you must not be few. 7 And seek the prosperity of the city where I have deported you, and pray on behalf of it to Yahweh, for in its prosperity you will have prosperity.’

8 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, deceive you, and you must not listen to your dreams that you are causing them to dream. 9 For they are prophesying ⌊falsely⌋g to you in my name; I have not sent them,’ ⌊declares⌋h Yahweh. 10 For thus says Yahweh, ‘⌊As soon as the time has passed⌋,i seventy yearsj for Babylon, I will attend to you, and I will fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans that I am planning concerning you,’ ⌊declares⌋k Yahweh, ‘plans for prosperity and not for harm, to give to you a future and a hope. 12 Then when you call me, and you come and pray to me, then I will listen to you. 13 When you search for me, then you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. 14 And I will let myself be found by you,’ ⌊declares⌋l Yahweh, ‘and I will restore your fortunes,m and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you,’ ⌊declares⌋n Yahweh, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you.’

15 Because you have said, ‘Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for thus says Yahweh concerning the king who sits on the throne of David and concerning all the people who live in this city, your fellow kinsmen who did not go with you into the exile— 17 thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Look, I am going to send among them the sword, the famine, and the plague, and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten because of their bad quality. 18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague, and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, and a horror, and an object of hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them, 19 because they did not listen to my words,’ ⌊declares⌋o Yahweh, ‘when I sent to them my servants the prophets, ⌊sending over and over again⌋,p and they would not listen,’ ⌊declares⌋q Yahweh.

20 And you, hear the word of Yahweh, all you exilesr whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name a lie, ‘Look, I am going to give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your eyes. 22 And a curse will be taken up because of them by all the exiless of Judah who are in Babylon, ⌊saying⌋,t “May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23 because they have done a disgraceful thing in Israel, and they have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and they have spoken wordsu in my name, liesv that I have not commanded them, and I am he who knows, and I am a witness,’ ⌊declares⌋w Yahweh.”

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.” ’ ”

Israel and Judah Will Be Delivered from Their Distress

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, ⌊saying⌋,a 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ⌊saying⌋,b ‘Write for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you in a scroll. 3 For look, days are coming,’ ⌊declares⌋c Yahweh, ‘when I will restore the fortunesd of my people Israel and Judah,’ says Yahweh, ‘and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestorse and they will take possession of it.’ ”

4 Now these are the words that Yahweh spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 5 “For thus says Yahweh:

‘We have heard a sound of trembling,

terror, and there is no peace.

6 Ask please and see whether a male can bear a child.

Why do I see every strong man

with his hands on his loins like a woman giving birth?

And why are all their faces changed to paleness?

7 Alas! For that day is great,

⌊there is none like it⌋.f

And it is a time of distress for Jacob,

yet from it he will be delivered.

8 And it will happen on that day,’ ⌊declares⌋g Yahweh of hosts,

‘I will break his yoke from your neck

and your bonds I will tear to pieces.

And strangers will no longer let him work as a slave.

9 But they will serve Yahweh their God,

and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 But you must not fear, my servant Jacob,’ ⌊declares⌋h Yahweh,

‘and you must not be dismayed, Israel,

for look, I am going to save you from far,

and your offspring from the land of their captivity.

And Jacob will return,

and he will be at rest,

and he will be at ease,

and there will be no one who makes himi afraid.

11 For I am with you,’ ⌊declares⌋j Yahweh, ‘to save you.

For I will make a complete destruction

of all the nations to which I scattered you,

but you I will not make a complete destruction.

And I will chastise you to the measure,

and I will not leave you entirely unpunished.’

12 For thus says Yahweh,

‘Your injury is incurable,

your wound is overcome by sickness.

13 There is no one who pleads your cause,

for your boil there is no healing for you.

14 All your lovers have forgotten you,

they do not care for you.

I have struck you with the blow of an enemy,

the punishment of the cruel,

because of the greatness of your guilt,

your sins are numerous.

15 Why do you cry because of your wound?

Your pain is incurable.

Because of the greatness of your guilt—your sins are vast—

I have done these things to you.

16 ⌊Therefore⌋k all those who devour you will be devoured,

and all your foes, all of them will go into captivity,

and those who plunder you will be as plunder,

and all those who plunder you I will make as plunder.

17 For I will present healing to you,

and I will heal you of your wounds,’ ⌊declares⌋l Yahweh.

‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying,

“It is Zion, there is no one who cares for her.” ’

18 Thus says Yahweh:

‘Look, I will restore the fortunesm of the tents of Jacob,

and I will have compassion on his dwellings,

and the city will be rebuilt upon its mound,

and the citadel fortress will stand on its rightful site.

19 And thanksgiving and the sound of merrymakers

will come out from them,

and I will make them numerous,

and they will not be few.

And I will make them honored,

and they will not be lowly.

20 And their children will be as of old,

and their community will be established ⌊before me⌋.n

And I will punish all their oppressors.

21 And their noble will be from them,

and their ruler will come out from their midst.

And I will bring him near and he will approach me.

For who is he that would pledge his heart to approach me?’ ⌊declares⌋o Yahweh.

22 ‘And you will be to me a people,

and I will be to you God.’ ”

23 Look, the storm of Yahweh!

Wrath has gone forth,

a whirling tempest.

It will whirl upon the head of the wicked.

24 ⌊The burning anger of Yahweh⌋p will not turn back until his doing,

and until his accomplishing the plans of his ⌊mind⌋.q

In the last of the days you will understand it.