Jer 29 | AB | STEP | And these are the words of the book which Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the false prophets, even an epistle to Babylon for the captivity, and to all the people:

‏ Jeremiah 29

1 And these are the words of the book which Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the false prophets, even an epistle to Babylon for the captivity, and to all the people: 2 (after the departure of Jeconiah the king, with the queen, the eunuchs, every freeman and bondsman, and craftsman, out of Jerusalem) 3 by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Babylon) saying, 4 Thus said the Lord God of Israel concerning the captivity which I caused to be carried away from Jerusalem: 5 Build houses, and inhabit them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruits thereof; 6 and take for yourselves wives, and bear sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and be multiplied, and be not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the land into which I have carried you captive, and you shall pray to the Lord for the people: for in its peace you shall have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord: Let not the false prophets that are among you persuade you, and let not your diviners persuade you, and hearken not to your dreams which you dream. 9 For they prophesy to you unrighteous words in My name; and I sent them not. 10 For thus said the Lord: When seventy years shall be on the verge of being accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and will confirm My words to you, to bring back your people to this place. 11 And I will devise for you a plan of peace, and not evil, to bestow upon you these good things. 12 And pray to Me, and I will hearken to you; and you shall earnestly seek Me, and you shall find Me; 13 for you shall seek Me with your whole heart. 14 And I will appear to you. 15 Because you have said, The Lord has appointed for us prophets in Babylon. 21 Thus says the Lord concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah: Behold, I will deliver them into the hands of the king of Babylon; and he shall slay them in your sight. 22 And they shall make of them a curse in all the captivity of Judah in Babylon, saying, The Lord do to you as He did to Zedekiah, and as He did to Ahab, whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire; 23 because of the iniquity which they wrought in Israel, and because they committed adultery with the wives of their fellow citizens, and spoke a word in My name, which I did not command them to speak, and I am witness, says the Lord. 24 And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall say, 25 I sent you not in My name. And to Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, say, 26 The Lord has made you priest in the place of Jehoida the priest, to be ruler in the house of the Lord over every prophet, and to every madman, and you shall put them in prison, and into the dungeon. 27 And now, why have you together reviled Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesied to you? 28 Did he not send for this purpose? For in the course of this month he sent to you to Babylon, saying, It is far off: build houses, and inhabit them; plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 29 And Zephaniah read the book in the ears of Jeremiah. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 Send to the captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he has made you to trust in iniquity, 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will visit Shemaiah and his family; and there shall not be a man of them in the midst of you to see the good which I will do for My people; they shall not see it.