Jer 29 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile , the priests , the prophets , and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon .

Jeremiah 29

Message to the Exiles

1 Now these are the words of the ^aletter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King ^bJeconiah and the ^cqueen mother, the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of ^dHilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I have ^esent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘ ^fBuild houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their ^{▼▼Lit fruit}produce. 6 Take ^hwives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease. 7 ⁱSeek the ^{▼▼Or peace}prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile, and ^kpray to the Lord in its behalf; for ^{▼▼Or your prosperity will depend on its}in its ^{▼▼Or peace}prosperity will be your ^{▼▼Or peace}prosperity.’ 8 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Do not let your ^oprophets who are in your midst or your diviners ^pdeceive you, and do not listen to their interpretations of ^qyour dreams which you dream. 9 For they ^rprophesy falsely to you in My name; ^sI have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.

10 “For this is what the Lord says: ‘When ^tseventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My ^ugood word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the ^vplans that I ^{▼▼Lit am planning}have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for ^{▼▼Or salvation
,} ^yprosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a ^zhope. 12 Then you will ^aacall upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will ^ablisten to you. 13 And you will ^acseek Me and find Me when you ^adsearch for Me with all your heart. 14 I will let Myself be ^aefound by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will ^afrestore your fortunes and ^aggather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will ^ahbring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up ^aiprophets for us in Babylon’-- 16 for this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did ^ajnot go with you into exile-- 17 this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the ^aksword, famine, and plague; and I will make them like ^alrotten figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will ^ammake them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a ^ancurse and an object of horror and ^{▼▼Or whistling
,} ^aphissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have ^aqnot listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by ^arMy servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. 20 ‘You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have ^assent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are ^atprophesying to you falsely in My name: “Behold, I am going to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your eyes. 22 Because of them a ^aucurse will be ^{▼▼Lit taken}used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon ^awroasted in the fire,’ 23 because they ^axacted ^{▼▼Or sacrilegiously}foolishly in Israel, and ^azcommitted adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and falsely ^baspoke words in My name which I did not command them. I am He who ^bbknows, and a witness,” declares the Lord.’”

24 Now you shall speak to ^bcShemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have sent ^bdletters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to ^bethe priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the ^{▼▼Lit overseers
,} ^bgoverseer of the house of the Lord for every ^bhinsane person who ^biprophesies, to ^bjput him in the stocks and in the iron collar. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of ^bkAnathoth who prophesies to you, 28 seeing that he has ^blsent word to us in Babylon, saying, ‘ ^{▼▼Lit It}The exile will be ^bnlong; ^bobuild houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their ^{▼▼Lit fruit}produce’?”’”

29 Now ^bqZephaniah the priest read this letter ^{▼▼Lit in the ears of}to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send word to ^bsall the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning ^btShemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has ^buprophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has ^bvmade you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to ^bwpunish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants; he will ^bynot have anyone living among this people, ^bzand he will not see the good that I am going to do for My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has ^caspoken falsely against the Lord.”’”