Jeremiah 29

1 Now these, are the, words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem, —unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and unto the priests and unto the prophets and unto all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the exiles, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon;

2 after that Jeconiah the king and the queen-mother and the eunuchs the princes of Judah and Jerusalem and the craftsmen and the smiths, had gone forth from Jerusalem; —

(After king Jechonyah and the queen-mother, and the court-officers, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the locksmiths, were departed from Jerusalem; )

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

By the hand of El'assah the son of Shaphan, and Gemaryah the son of Chilkiyah, [whom Zedekiah the king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, ] saying,

4 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, Unto all the captivity whom I have suffered to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the exiles, whom I have caused to be carried into exile from Jerusalem unto Babylon,

5 Build ye houses and dwell in them, —And plant ye gardens and eat the fruit thereof;

Build ye houses, and dwell therein; and plant gardens, and eat their fruit;

6 Take ye wives and beget sons and daughters, And take wives, for your sons, and, your daughters, give ye to husbands, That they may bear sons and daughters, —And so become ye many there and do not become 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 multiply there, and not be diminished.

7 And seek the welfare of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray for her unto Yahweh, —For in her welfare, shall ye have welfare.

And seek the welfare of the city whither I have banished you, and pray in its behalf unto the Lord; for in its welfare shall ye fare well.

8 For Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts God of Israel, Let not your prophets that are in your midst nor your diviners beguile you, —Neither hearken ye unto your dreams which ye are dreaming;

For thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Let not your prophets, that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you, and do not hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamt;

9 For falsely, are they prophesying unto you in my name, —I have not sent them, Declareth Yahweh.

For with falsehood do they prophesy unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.

10 For, thus, saith Yahweh, —That as soon as there are fulfilled to Babylon seventy years, I will visit you, —and establish for you my good word, by causing you to return unto this place.

For thus hath said the Lord, Because only after the accomplishment of seventy years for Babylon, will I visit you, and fulfill respecting you my good word, in causing you to return to this place.

11 For, I, know the plans which I am planning for you Declareth Yahweh, —Plans of welfare and not of calamity, To give you a future and a hope.

For I alone know the thoughts that I entertain respecting you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a [happy] future and hope.

12 So shall ye call upon me, —And go and pray unto me, —And I will hearken unto you;

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

13 So shall ye seek me and find, For ye will enquire after me with all your heart;

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

14 And I will be found of you, Declareth Yahweh, And will turn back your captivity, And will gather you out of all the nations and out of all the places whither I have driven you, Declareth Yahweh, And will bring you back into the place whence I had caused you to be carried away captive:

And I will be found of you, saith the Lord; and I will bring back 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 cause you to return unto the place whence I have banished you.

15 Because ye have said, —Yahweh hath raised us up prophets in Babylon.

Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon.

16 For, thus, saith Yahweh Against the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and Against all the people who are remaining in this city, —your brethren who have not gone forth with you into captivity:

But thus hath said the Lord concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into exile;

17 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Behold me! sending upon them sword famine, and pestilence, —So will I make them like the horrid figs, that cannot be eaten for badness;

Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will send out against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence; and I will render them like the detestable figs, that cannot be eaten, from being so bad.

18 Therefore will I pursue them with sword with famine and with pestilence, —And will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth A curse and an astonishment and a hissing and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will make them a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, and an astonishment, and a derision, and a disgrace, among all the nations whither I have driven them;

19 Because they hearkened not unto my words Declareth Yahweh, —which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, betimes, sending them yet hearkened they not Declareth Yahweh.

For the reason that they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, since I sent unto them my servants the prophets, causing them to rise up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.

20 Ye, therefore, hear ye the word of Yahweh, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

But ye—hear ye the word of the Lord, all ye exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel Concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name, a falsehood, Behold me! delivering them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he will smite them before your eyes:

Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Achab the son of Kolayah, and of Zedekiah the son of Ma'asseyah, who prophesy unto you in my name falsehood, Behold, I will give them up into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon: and he shall smite them before your eyes.

22 So shall there be taken up—from them—a curse, by all of the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon saying, —Yahweh make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, Whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!

And a curse shall be derived from them for all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May the Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Achab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;”

23 Because they have committed vileness in Israel And have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbours, And have spoken as a word in my name a falsehood, which I commanded them not, —And, I, am one who knoweth—and a witness Declareth Yahweh.

Because they have done scandalous deeds in Israel, and have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and have spoken in my name falsehood, which I had not commanded them; whereas I am the one that know, and am the witness, saith the Lord.

24 Also unto Shemaiah the Nehelamite, shalt thou speak, saying:

And to Shema'yahu the Nechelamite shalt thou say, as followeth,

25 Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, —Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying:

Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent in thy name letters unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephanyah the son of Ma'asseyah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

26 Yahweh, hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be deputies in the house of Yahweh, to any man who is raving and prophesying, so shalt thou put him into the stocks and into the pillory:

The Lord hath appointed thee priest in the place of Jehoyada' the priest, that ye should be superintendents in the house of the Lord, for every man that is mad, and that prophesieth, that thou shouldst put him in the stocks, and in prison:

27 Now, therefore, why, hast thou not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is prophesying unto you?

And now, why hast thou not rebuked Jeremiah of 'Anathoth, who prophesieth to you?

28 For, on this account, hath he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, —’Tis, long! Build ye houses and dwell in them, And plant gardens and eat the fruit thereof.

For the reason that he hath sent unto us to Babylon saying, It will last a long time: build ye houses, and dwell therein; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit thereof.

29 And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,

And Zephanyah the priest read the letter before the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Therefore hath the word of Yahweh come unto Jeremiah, saying:

Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

31 Send thou unto all them of the captivity, saying, Thus, saith Yahweh, Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, —Because Shemaiah, hath prophesied to you, when, I, had not sent him, And hath caused you to trust in falsehood,

Send to all the exiles, saying, Thus hath said the Lord concerning Shema'yah the Nechlamite, Whereas Shema'yah hath prophesied unto you, while I have not sent him, and he hath caused you to rely on a falsehood:

32 Therefore Thus, saith Yahweh, —Behold me! bringing punishment upon Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and upon his seed, He shall have no man to dwell in the midst of this people, Nor shall he see the good that I am about to do for my people, Declareth Yahweh; Because revolt, hath he spoken against Yahweh.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord, Behold, I will inflict punishment on Shema'yah the Nechlamite, and on his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell in the midst of this people; and he shall not behold the good that I am doing for my people, saith the Lord; because he hath spoken revolt against the Lord.