Jeremiah 29:24–32

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.’ ”