Jeremiah 29–31

A Letter to the Exiles

29This is the text of the letter^z that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.^{a 2}(This was after King Jehoiachin^ab and the queen mother,^c the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried^d into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵“Build^e houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.^{f 7}Also, seek^g the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray^h to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophetsⁱ and diviners among you deceive^j you. Do not listen to the dreams^k you encourage them to have.^{l 9}They are prophesying lies^m to you in my name. I have not sentⁿ them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years^o are completed for Babylon, I will come to you^p and fulfill my good promise^q to bring you back^r to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans^s I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper^t you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.^{u 12}Then you will call^v on me and come and pray^w to me, and I will listen^x to you. ¹³You will seek^y me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.^{z 14}I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back^a from captivity.^b I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”^b

¹⁵You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” ¹⁶but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile—¹⁷yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague^c against them and I will make them like figs^d that are so bad they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent^e to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse^cf and an object of horror,^g of scorn^h and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. ¹⁹For they have not listened to my words,”ⁱ declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again^j by my servants the prophets.^k And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

²⁰Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent^l away from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²¹This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies^m to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. ²²Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burnedⁿ in the fire.’ ²³For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery^o with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know^p it and am a witness^q to it,” declares the Lord.

Message to Shemaiah

²⁴Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ²⁵“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^r son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac^s who acts like a prophet into the stocks^t and neck-irons. ²⁷So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸He has sent this message^u to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^v Therefore build^w houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ”

²⁹Zephaniah^x the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah^y the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send^z him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, ³²this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.^a He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good^b things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion^c against me.’ ”

Restoration of Israel

30This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write^d in a book all the words I have spoken to you. ³The days^e are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring^f my people Israel and Judah back from captivity^a and restore^g them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

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

“ ‘Cries of fear^h are heard—

terror, not peace.

⁶Ask and see:

Can a man bear children?

Then why do I see every strong man

with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,ⁱ

every face turned deathly pale?^j

⁷How awful that day^k will be!

No other will be like it.

It will be a time of trouble^l for Jacob,

but he will be saved^m out of it.

⁸“ ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,

‘I will break the yokeⁿ off their necks

and will tear off their bonds;^o

no longer will foreigners enslave them.^p

⁹Instead, they will serve the Lord their God

and David^q their king,^r

whom I will raise up for them.

¹⁰“ ‘So do not be afraid,^s Jacob my servant;^t

do not be dismayed, Israel,’

declares the Lord.

‘I will surely save^u you out of a distant place,

your descendants from the land of their exile.

Jacob will again have peace and security,^v

and no one will make him afraid.^w

¹¹I am with you^x and will save you,’

declares the Lord.

‘Though I completely destroy all the nations

among which I scatter you,

I will not completely destroy^y you.

I will discipline^z you but only in due measure;

I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’^a

¹²“This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘Your wound^b is incurable,

your injury beyond healing.^c

¹³There is no one to plead your cause,^d

no remedy for your sore,

no healing^e for you.

¹⁴All your allies^f have forgotten you;

they care nothing for you.

I have struck you as an enemy^g would

and punished you as would the cruel,^h

because your guilt is so great

and your sinsⁱ so many.

¹⁵Why do you cry out over your wound,

your pain that has no cure?^j

Because of your great guilt and many sins

I have done these things to you.^k

¹⁶“ ‘But all who devour^l you will be devoured;

all your enemies will go into exile.^m

Those who plunderⁿ you will be plundered;

all who make spoil of you I will despoil.

¹⁷But I will restore you to health

and heal^o your wounds,’

declares the Lord,

‘because you are called an outcast,^p

Zion for whom no one cares.’^q

¹⁸“This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘I will restore the fortunes^r of Jacob’s tents^s

and have compassion^t on his dwellings;

the city will be rebuilt^u on her ruins,

and the palace will stand in its proper place.

¹⁹From them will come songs^v of thanksgiving^w

and the sound of rejoicing.^x

I will add to their numbers,^y

and they will not be decreased;

I will bring them honor,^z

and they will not be disdained.

²⁰Their children^a will be as in days of old,

and their community will be established^b before me;

I will punish^c all who oppress them.

²¹Their leader^d will be one of their own;

their ruler will arise from among them.^e

I will bring him near^f and he will come close to me—

for who is he who will devote himself

to be close to me?’

declares the Lord.

²²“ ‘So you will be my people,^g

and I will be your God.^h’ ”

²³See, the stormⁱ of the Lord

will burst out in wrath,

a driving wind swirling down

on the heads of the wicked.

²⁴The fierce anger^j of the Lord will not turn back^k

until he fully accomplishes

the purposes of his heart.

In days to come

you will understand^l this.

31“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God^m of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

²This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword

will find favorⁿ in the wilderness;

I will come to give rest^o to Israel.”

³The Lord appeared to us in the past,^a saying:

“I have loved^p you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn^q you with unfailing kindness.

⁴I will build you up again,

and you, Virgin^r Israel, will be rebuilt.^s

Again you will take up your timbrels^t

and go out to dance^u with the joyful.^v

⁵Again you will plant^w vineyards

on the hills of Samaria;^x

the farmers will plant them

and enjoy their fruit.^y

⁶There will be a day when watchmen^z cry out

on the hills of Ephraim,

‘Come, let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God.’ ”^a

⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Sing^b with joy for Jacob;

shout for the foremost^c of the nations.

Make your praises heard, and say,

‘Lord, save^d your people,

the remnant^e of Israel.’

⁸See, I will bring them from the land of the north^f

and gather^g them from the ends of the earth.

Among them will be the blind^h and the lame,ⁱ

expectant mothers and women in labor;

a great throng will return.

⁹They will come with weeping;^j

they will pray as I bring them back.

I will lead^k them beside streams of water^l

on a level^m path where they will not stumble,

because I am Israel’s father,ⁿ

and…