Jeremiah 29

1 And these [are] the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of [the] elderly of the expulsion, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people—whom Nebuchadnezzar removed from Jerusalem to Babylon,

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;

2 after the going forth of Jeconiah the king, and the mistress, and the officers, heads of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsman, and the smith, from Jerusalem—

( 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; )

3 by the hand of Eleasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

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,

4 “Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, to all the expulsion that I removed from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Thus saith Yhwh of Armies, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

5 Build houses and abide; and plant gardens and eat their fruit;

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

6 take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and they bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and you are not few;

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.

7 and seek the peace of the city to where I have removed you, and pray to YHWH for it, for in its peace you have peace.

And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto Yhwh for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

8 For thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who [are] in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor listen to their dreams, that you are causing [them] to dream;

For thus saith Yhwh of Armies, 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.

9 for they are prophesying with falsehood to you in My Name; I have not sent them, a declaration of YHWH.

For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Yhwh.

10 For thus said YHWH: Surely at the fullness of Babylon—seventy years—I inspect you, and have established My good word toward you, to bring you back to this place.

For thus saith Yhwh, 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 have known the thoughts that I am thinking toward you—a declaration of YHWH; thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give posterity and hope to you.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Yhwh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

12 And you have called Me, and have gone, and have prayed to Me, and I have listened to you,

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 and you have sought Me, and have found, for you seek Me with all your heart;

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 and I have been found by you—a declaration of YHWH; and I have turned back [to] your captivity, and have gathered you out of all the nations, and out of all the places to where I have driven you—a declaration of YHWH—and I have brought you back to the place from where I removed you.

And I will be found of you, saith Yhwh: 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 Yhwh; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

15 Because you have said, YHWH has raised up prophets to us in Babylon,

Because ye have said, Yhwh hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;

16 surely thus said YHWH concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that are dwelling in this city, your brothers who did not go forth with you in the expulsion—

Know that thus saith Yhwh 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 said YHWH of Hosts: Behold, I am sending the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, and I have given them up as figs that [are] vile, that are not eaten because of badness.

Thus saith Yhwh of Armies; 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.

18 And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations to where I have driven them,

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 that they have not listened to My words—a declaration of YHWH—that I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and you did not listen—a declaration of YHWH.

Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith Yhwh, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith Yhwh.

20 And you, hear a word of YHWH, all you of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon—

Hear ye therefore the word of Yhwh, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

21 thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying falsehood to you in My Name: Behold, I am giving them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he has struck them before your eyes,

Thus saith Yhwh of Armies, 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 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;

22 and because of them a reviling has been taken by all the expulsion of Judah that [are] in Babylon, saying, YHWH sets you as Zedekiah, and as Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted with fire;

And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, Yhwh make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;

23 because that they have done folly in Israel, and commit adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and falsely speak a word in My Name that I have not commanded them, and I [am] He who knows and a witness—a declaration of YHWH.

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 Yhwh.

24 And you speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

25 Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, saying, Because that you have sent letters in your name to all the people who [are] in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

Thus speaketh Yhwh of Armies, 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 YHWH has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, for there being inspectors of the house of YHWH over every man [who] is mad and making himself a prophet, and you have put him in the stocks and in the pillory.

Yhwh hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of Yhwh, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

27 And now, why have you not pushed against Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is making himself a prophet to you?

Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?

28 Because that he has sent to us [in] Babylon, saying, It [is] long, build houses and abide; and plant gardens and eat their fruit.”

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 reads this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 And there is a word of YHWH to Jeremiah, saying,

Then came the word of Yhwh unto Jeremiah, saying,

31 “Send to all the expulsion, saying, Thus said YHWH concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he causes you to trust on falsehood,

Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith Yhwh 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 said YHWH: Behold, I am seeing after Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and after his seed, he has none dwelling in the midst of this people, nor does he look on the good that I am doing to My people,” a declaration of YHWH, “for he has spoken apostasy against YHWH.”

Therefore thus saith Yhwh; 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 Yhwh; because he hath taught rebellion against Yhwh.