Chapter 29 Now these are the words of the letter That Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders Who were carried away captive To the priests the prophets and all the People whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried Away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon This happened after jaconiah the king The Queen Mother the eunuchs the princes Of Judah and Jerusalem the Craftsmen and The Smiths had departed from Jerusalem The letter was sent by the hand of Elliser the son of chafan and gamariah The son of hilkaya whom zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon saying And thus says the Lord of hosts the god Of Israel to all who were carried away Captive whom I have caused to be carried Away from Jerusalem to Babylon Build houses and dwell in them Plant Gardens and eat their fruit Take wives and beget sons and daughters And take wives for your sons and give Your daughters to husbands so that they May bear sons and daughters that you may Be increased there and not diminished And seek the peace of the city where I Have caused you to be carried away Captive and pray to the Lord for it For in its peace you will have peace For thus says the Lord of hosts the god Of Israel
Do not let your prophets and your Diviners who are in your midst deceive You Nor listen to your dreams which you Cause to be dreamed For they prophesy falsely to you in my Name I have not sent them says the Lord For thus says the Lord After 70 years I completed at Babylon I Will visit you and perform my good word Toward you and cause you to return to This place For I know the thoughts that I think Toward you says the Lord Thoughts of peace and not of evil To give you a future and a hope Then you will call upon me and go and Pray to me and I will listen to you And you will seek me and find me when You search for me with all your heart I will be found by you says the Lord and I will bring you back from your Captivity I will gather you from all the nations And from all the places where I have Driven you says the Lord And I will bring you to the place from Which I cause you to be carried away Captive Because you have said the Lord has Raised up prophets for us in Babylon Therefore thus says the Lord concerning The king who sits on the throne of David
Concerning all the people who dwell in This city and concerning your brethren Who have not gone out with you into Captivity Thus says the Lord of hosts Behold I will send on them the sword the famine And the pestilence and will make them Like rotten figs that cannot be eaten They are so bad And I will pursue them with the sword With famine and with pestilence And I will deliver them to trouble among All the kingdoms of the Earth To be a curse an astonishment a hissing And a reproach among all the nations Where I have driven them because they Have not heeded my words says the Lord Which I sent to them by my servants the Prophets rising up early and sending Them Neither would you heed says the Lord Therefore hear the word of the Lord all You of the Captivity whom I have sent From Jerusalem to Babylon Thus says the Lord of hosts the god of Israel concerning Ahab the son of coleia And zedekiah the son of mayasia who Prophesy a lie to 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 And because of them a curse shall be Taken up by all the Captivity of Judah
Who are in Babylon Saying The Lord make you like zedekiah and Ahab Whom the king of Babylon roasted in the Fire Because they have done disgraceful Things in Israel have committed adultery With their neighbor's wives and have Spoken lying words in my name which I Have not commanded them Indeed I know and I'm a witness says the Lord You shall also speak to Shema the Nehelamite saying Thus speaks the Lord of hosts the god of Israel saying You have sent letters in your name to All the people who are at Jerusalem To Zephaniah the son of Mercia the Priest and to all the priests saying The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest so that there should Be officers in the house of the Lord Over every man who is demented and Considers himself a prophet that you Should put him in prison and in the Stocks Now therefore why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of anathoth who makes himself a Prophet to you For he is sent to us in Babylon saying This captivity is long build houses and Dwell in them and plant Gardens and eat Their fruit
Now Zephaniah the priest read this Letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the Prophet Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying Send to all those in captivity saying Thus says the Lord concerning Shema the Helamite Because Shema has prophesied to you and I have not sent him and he has caused You to trust in a lie therefore thus Says the Lord Behold I will punish shimaya the Nahelomite and his family He shall not have anyone to dwell among This people nor shall he see the good That I will do for my people says the Lord because he has taught Rebellion Against the Lord