Jer 29 | ESV | STEP | These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles , and to the priests , the prophets , and all the people , whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon .

1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to ^athe surviving elders of the exiles, and to ^bthe priests, ^cthe prophets, and ^dall the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after ^eKing Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of ^fShaphan and Gemariah the son of ^gHilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ^hBuild houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and ⁱpray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^jDo not let your prophets and ^kyour diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, ^{▼▼Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream} 9 for ^mit is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; ⁿI did not send them, declares the Lord.

10 “For thus says the Lord: ^oWhen seventy years are completed for Babylon, ^pI will visit you, ^qand I will fulfill to you my promise ^rand bring you back to this place. 11 ^sFor I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare ^{▼▼Or peace} and not for evil, ^uto give you a future and a hope. 12 ^vThen you will call upon me and come and pray to me, ^wand I will hear you. 13 ^xYou will seek me and find me, when you seek me ^ywith all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, ^zand I will restore your fortunes and ^aagather you from all the nations and all the places ^abwhere I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ 16 thus says the Lord concerning ^acthe king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: 17 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them ^adsword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like ^aevile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with ^afsword, famine, and pestilence, ^agand will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, ^ahto be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations ^aiwhere I have driven them, 19 because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, ^ajthat I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’ 20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles ^akwhom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, ^alwho are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. 22 ^amBecause of them ^anthis curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, ^aowhom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23 because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, ^apthey have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and ^aqthey have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. ^arI am the one who knows, ^asand I am witness, declares the Lord.’”

Shemaiah’s False Prophecy

24 To ^atShemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: 25 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to ^auZephaniah the son of ^avMaaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have ^awcharge in the house of the Lord ^axover every madman who prophesies, to put him in ^aythe stocks and neck irons. 27 Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah ^azof Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; ^babuild houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”

29 ^bbZephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 ^bcThen the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning ^bdShemaiah of Nehelam: Because ^beShemaiah had prophesied to you ^bfwhen I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish ^bgShemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, ^bhand he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, ^bifor he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”