Jeremiah 29

1 This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the others Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Now these are the wordes of the booke that Ieremiah the Prophet sent from Ierusalem vnto the residue of the Elders which were caryed away captiues, and to the Priestes, and to the Prophets, and to all the people whome Nebuchad-nezzar had caried away captiue from Ierusalem to Babel:

2 (This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had been exiled from Jerusalem.)

(After that Ieconiah the King, and the Queene, and the eunuches, the princes of Iudah, and of Ierusalem, and the workemen, and cunning men were departed from Ierusalem)

3 The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:

By the hand of Elasah the sonne of Shaphan and Gemariah the sonne of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah King of Iudah sent vnto Babel to Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel) saying,

4 This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Thus hath the Lord of hostes the God of Israel spoken vnto all that are caryed away captiues, whome I haue caused to be caryed away captiues from Ierusalem vnto Babel:

5 “Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.

Buylde you houses to dwell in, and plant you gardens, and eate the fruites of them.

6 Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.

Take you wiues, and beget sonnes and daughters, and take wiues for your sonnes, and giue your daughters to husbands, that they may beare sonnes and daughters, that ye may bee increased there, and not diminished.

7 Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

And seeke the prosperitie of the citie, whither I haue caused you to be caried away captiues, and pray vnto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall you haue peace.

8 For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.

For thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, Let not your prophets, and your southsayers that bee among you, deceiue you, neither giue eare to your dreames, which you dreame.

9 For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”

For they prophecie you a lie in my Name: I haue not sent them, saith the Lord.

10 For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.

But thus saith the Lord, That after seuentie yeeres be accomplished at Babel, I will visite you, and performe my good promise toward you, and cause you to returne to this place.

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.

For I knowe the thoughtes, that I haue thought towards you, saith the Lord, euen the thoughtes of peace, and not of trouble, to giue you an ende, and your hope.

12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Then shall you crie vnto mee, and ye shall go and pray vnto me, and I will heare you,

13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

And ye shall seeke mee and finde mee, because ye shall seeke mee with all your heart.

14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

And I wil be found of you, saith the Lord, and I will turne away your captiuitie, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places, whither I haue cast you, saith the Lord, and will bring you againe vnto the place, whence I caused you to be caryed away captiue.

15 Because you may say, “The LORD has raised up for us prophets in Babylon,”

Because ye haue sayd, The Lord hath raised vs vp Prophets in Babel,

16 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 brothers who did not go with you into exile—

Therefore thus saith the Lord of the King, that sitteth vpon the throne of Dauid, and of all the people, that dwell in this citie, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captiuitie:

17 this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I will send against them sword and famine and plague, and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.

Euen thus sayth the Lord of hostes, Beholde, I will sende vpon them the sworde, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figges, that cannot bee eaten, they are so naughtie.

18 I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.

And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence: and I will make them a terror to all kingdomes of the earth, and a curse, and astonishment and an hissing, and a reproche among all the nations whither I haue cast them,

19 I will do this because they have not listened to My words, declares the LORD, which I sent to them again and again through My servants the prophets. And neither have you exiles listened, declares the LORD.”

Because they haue not hearde my words, saith the Lord, which I sent vnto them by my seruantes the Prophetes, rising vp earely, and sending them, but yee woulde not heare, saith the Lord.

20 So hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Heare ye therefore the word of the Lord all ye of the captiuitie, whome I haue sent from Ierusalem to Babel.

21 This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you lies in My name: “I will deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes.

Thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, of Ahab the sonne of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the sonne of Maaseiah, which prophecie lyes vnto you in my Name, Beholde, I will deliuer them into the hande of Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel, and he shall slay them before your eyes.

22 Because of them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’

And al they of the captiuitie of Iudah, that are in Babel, shall take vp this curse against them, and say, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whome the King of Babel burnt in the fire,

23 For they have committed an outrage in Israel by committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking lies in My name, which I did not command them to do. I am He who knows, and I am a witness, declares the LORD.”

Because they haue committed vilenie in Israel, and haue committed adulterie with their neighbours wiues, and haue spoken lying words in my Name, which I haue not commanded them, euen I knowe it, and testifie it, saith the Lord.

24 You are to tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite that

Thou shalt also speake to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

25 this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “In your own name you have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. You said to Zephaniah:

Thus speaketh the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy Name vnto all the people, that are at Ierusalem, and to Zephaniah the sonne of Maaseiah the Priest, and to all the Priests, saying,

26 ‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.

The Lord hath made thee Priest for Iehoiada the Priest, that yee should bee officers in the House of the Lord, for euery man that raueth and maketh himselfe a Prophet, to put him in prison and in the stockes.

27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you?

Nowe therefore why hast not thou reproued Ieremiah of Anathoth, which prophecieth vnto you?

28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, claiming: Since the exile will be lengthy, build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat their produce.’”

For, for this cause hee sent vnto vs in Babel, saying, This captiuitie is long: buyld houses to dwell in, and plant gardens, and eate the fruites of them.

29 (Zephaniah the priest, however, had read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet.)

And Zephaniah the Priest red this letter in the eares of Ieremiah the Prophet.

30 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

Then came the worde of the Lord vnto Ieremiah, saying,

31 “Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,

Send to all them of the captiuitie, saying, Thus saith the Lord of Shemaiah the Nehelamite, Because that Shemaiah hath prophecied vnto you, and I sent him not, and hee caused you to trust in a lye,

32 this is what the LORD says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.’”

Therefore thus saieth the Lord, Behold, I wil visite Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seede: hee shall not haue a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he beholde the good, that I will doe for my people, sayth the Lord, because he hath spoken rebelliously against the Lord.