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Jeremiah 29
1 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 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 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 saith the LORD of hosts, 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 ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat
the fruit of them;
6 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 whither I have caused you to be
carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof
shall ye have peace.
8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, 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 prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent
them, saith the LORD.
10 For thus saith the LORD, 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 know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me,
and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me
with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: 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 the LORD; and I will bring you again
into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
15 Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in
Babylon;
16 Know that thus saith the LORD 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 saith the LORD of hosts; 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 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 they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD,
which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending
them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
20 Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity,
whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, 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 Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of
Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like
Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
23 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
the LORD.
24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,
25 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, 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 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the
priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that
is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and
in the stocks.
27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth,
which maketh himself a prophet to you?
28 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 read this letter in the ears of
Jeremiah the prophet.
30 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD
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 saith the LORD; 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 the
LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.
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