Jeremiah 29

1 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:

And these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah, the prophet, sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of the elders of the transmigration, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had led away from Jerusalem to Babylon,

2 (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)

after king Jeconiah, with the queen, and the eunuchs, and the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and engravers, had departed from Jerusalem.

3 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,

It was sent by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and by Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, the king of Judah, sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, saying:

4 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:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who have been taken away, whom I have caused to be transferred from Jerusalem to Babylon:

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

Build houses and live in them. And plant gardens, and eat from their fruit.

6 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.

Take wives, and conceive sons and daughters. And give wives to your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters. And be multiplied there, and do not choose to be few in number.

7 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.

And seek the peace of the city, to which I have caused you to be taken away, and pray to the Lord on its behalf. For your peace will be in its peace.

8 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.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not allow your prophets and your diviners, who are in your midst, to seduce you. And you should pay no attention to your dreams, which you are dreaming.

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

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name, and I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 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.

For thus says the Lord: When the seventy years will begin to be completed in Babylon, I will visit you. And I will raise up over you my good word, so that I may lead you back to this place.

11 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.

For I know the thoughts that I think over you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace and not of affliction, so that I may give you patience and an end.

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

And you shall call upon me, and you shall go forth. And you shall pray to me, and I will heed you.

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

You shall seek me. And you will find me, when you have sought me with your whole heart.

14 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.

And I will be found by you, says the Lord. And I will lead you back from your captivity. And I will gather you from all the nations and all the places, to which I have expelled you, says the Lord. And I will return you from the place to which I sent you into captivity.

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

For you have said: ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.’

16 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:

For thus says the Lord, to the king who sits upon the throne of David, and to all the people who live in this city, to your brothers who have not departed with you in the transmigration:

17 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.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send among them the sword, and famine, and pestilence. And I will make them like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, because they are very bad.

18 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,

And I will pursue them with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence. And I will give them over to affliction, amid all the kingdoms of the earth: as a curse, and in stupor, and with hissing, and as a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them out.

19 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.

For they have not listened to my words, says the Lord, which I sent to them through my servants, the prophets, rising while it was still night, and sending. But you have not listened, says the Lord.

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

Therefore, listen to the word of the Lord, all you of the transmigration, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem into Babylon.

21 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.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and to Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes.

22 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,

And a curse will be taken up about them, by all the captives of Judah that are in Babylon, saying: ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah, and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire!’

23 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.

For they have acted foolishly in Israel, and they have committed adultery with the wives of their friends, and they have spoken lying words in my name, which I did not command them. I am the Judge and the Witness, says the Lord.

24 Thou shalt also speake to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

And to Shemaiah of Nehelam, you shall say:

25 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,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Similarly, you have sent letters in your name to all the people that are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying:

26 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.

‘The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada, the priest, so that you would be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every man who raves and prophesies, to send him to the stocks and to prison.

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

And now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you?

28 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.

For about this, he has sent to us in Babylon, saying: It is a long time. Build houses and live in them. And plant gardens, and eat from their fruits.’”

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

Thus, Zephaniah, the priest, read this letter, in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

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

And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:

31 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,

“Send to all those of the transmigration, saying: Thus says the Lord to Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and because he has caused you to trust in a lie:

32 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.

For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will visit upon Shemaiah of Nehelam, and upon his offspring. There will not be, for him, even one man sitting in the midst of this people. And he will not see the good that I will accomplish for my people, says the Lord. For he has spoken a betrayal against the Lord.”