| Holman Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1This is the text of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exiles, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. | 1The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon. |
| 2This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem. | 2He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem. |
| 3The letter was sent by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter stated: | 3He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. King Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter said: |
| 4This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: | 4"The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem, |
| 5"Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. | 5Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. |
| 6Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. | 6Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. |
| 7Seek the welfare of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for when it has prosperity, you will prosper." | 7Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the LORD for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.' |
| 8For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "Don't let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and don't listen to the dreams you elicit from them, | 8"For the LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, 'Do not let the prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream. |
| 9for they are prophesying falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them." This is the LORD's declaration. | 9They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the LORD, affirm it!' |
| 10For this is what the LORD says: "When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place. | 10"For the LORD says, 'Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you. Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore you to your homeland. |
| 11For I know the plans I have for you"--this is the LORD's declaration--"plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. | 11For I know what I have planned for you,' says the LORD. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. |
| 12You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. | 12When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. |
| 13You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. | 13When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, |
| 14I will be found by you"--this is the LORD's declaration--"and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you"--this is the LORD's declaration. "I will restore you to the place I deported you from." | 14I will make myself available to you,' says the LORD. 'Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,' says the LORD. 'I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.' |
| 15You have said, "The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon!" | 15"You say, 'The LORD has raised up prophets of good news for us here in Babylon.' |
| 16But this is what the LORD says concerning the king sitting on David's throne and concerning all the people living in this city--that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile. | 16But just listen to what the LORD has to say about the king who occupies David's throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this city of Jerusalem and were not carried off into exile with you. |
| 17This is what the LORD of Hosts says: "I am about to send against them sword, famine, and plague and will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad. | 17The LORD who rules over all says, 'I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them. I will treat them like figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. |
| 18I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth--a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations where I have banished them. | 18I will chase after them with war, starvation, and disease. I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to them. I will make them examples of those who are cursed, objects of horror, hissing scorn, and ridicule among all the nations where I exile them. |
| 19I will do this because they have not listened to My words"--this is the LORD's declaration--"that I sent to them with My servants the prophets time and time again. And you too have not listened." This is the LORD's declaration. | 19For they have not paid attention to what I said to them through my servants the prophets whom I sent to them over and over again,' says the LORD. 'And you exiles have not paid any attention to them either,' says the LORD. |
| 20Hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. | 20So pay attention to what I, the LORD, have said, all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.' |
| 21This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to Ahab son of Kolaiah and to Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in My name: "I am about to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes. | 21"The LORD God of Israel who rules over all also has something to say about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. 'I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes. |
| 22Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse that says, 'May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!' | 22And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when they put a curse on anyone. They will say, "May the LORD treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire!" |
| 23because they have committed an outrage in Israel by committing adultery with their neighbors' wives and have spoken a lie in My name, which I did not command them. I am He who knows, and I am a witness." This is the LORD's declaration. | 23This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,' says the LORD." |
| 24To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say, | 24The LORD told Jeremiah, "Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite |
| 25"This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying: | 25that the LORD God of Israel who rules over all has a message for him. Tell him, 'On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In your letter you said to Zephaniah, |
| 26 'The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest to be the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, responsible for every madman who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks and an iron collar. | 26"The LORD has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge in the LORD's temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck. |
| 27So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who has been acting like a prophet among you? | 27You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you! |
| 28For he has sent word to us in Babylon, claiming, "The exile will be long. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce."'" | 28For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us, "You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce."'" |
| 29Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. | 29Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah. |
| 30Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: | 30Then the LORD spoke to Jeremiah. |
| 31"Send a message to all the exiles, saying: This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie, | 31"Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, 'The LORD has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. "Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie. |
| 32this is what the LORD says: I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be even one of his descendants living among these people, nor will any ever see the good that I will bring to My people"--this is the LORD's declaration--"for he has preached rebellion against the LORD." | 32Because he has done this," the LORD says, "I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the LORD, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the LORD."'" |
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