Now these
are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the
prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of
the elders which were carried away captives, and
to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all
the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away
captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
02 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen,
and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and
Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths,
were departed from Jerusalem;)
03 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and
Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king
of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon) saying,
04 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel, unto all that are carried away captives,
whom I have caused to be carried away from
Jerusalem unto Babylon;
05 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant
gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
06 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters;
and take wives for your sons, and give your
daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons
and daughters; that ye may be increased there,
and not diminished.
07 And seek the peace of the city whither I have
caused you to be carried away captives, and pray
unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof
shall ye have peace.
08 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners,
that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither
hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be
dreamed.
09 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name:
I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
10 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy
years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit
you, and perform my good word toward you, in
causing you to return to this place.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not
of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go
and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye
shall search for me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:
and I will turn away your captivity, and I will
gather you from all the nations, and from all the
places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord;
and I will bring you again into the place whence
I caused you to be carried away captive.
15 Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us
up prophets in Babylon;
16 Know that thus saith the Lord of the king that
sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the
people that dwelleth in this city, and of your
brethren that are not gone forth with you into
captivity;
17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will
send upon them the sword, the famine, and the
pestilence, and will make them like vile figs,
that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
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18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with
the famine, and with the pestilence, and will
deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of
the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment,
and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the
nations whither I have driven them:
19 Because they have not hearkened to my words,
saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my
servants the prophets, rising up early and
sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the
Lord.
20 Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye
of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem
to Babylon:
21 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of
Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a
lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver
them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all
the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon,
saying, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like
Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the
fire;
23 Because they have committed villany in Israel,
and have committed adultery with their
neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in
my name, which I have not commanded them; even I
know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.
24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the
Nehelamite, saying,
25 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in
thy name unto all the people that are at
Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah
the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
26 The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of
Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers
in the house of the Lord, for every man that is
mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou
shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved
Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a
prophet to you?
28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon,
saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses,
and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the
fruit of them.
29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in
the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
30 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah,
saying,
31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying,
Thus saith the Lord concerning Shemaiah the
Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied
unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you
to trust in a lie:
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will
punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he
shall not have a man to dwell among this people;
neither shall he behold the good that I will do
for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath
taught rebellion against the Lord.
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