Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives
1   Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the rest of the elders who 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 Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the  eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, had 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 says 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 you houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
6   Take yourself 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 you may be increased there, and not diminished.
7   And seek the peace of the city where I have caused  you  to  be  carried  away  captives,  and pray unto the LORD for it: for in its peace shall you have peace.
8   For thus says 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 you cause to be dreamed.
9    For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, says the LORD.
10   For thus says the LORD, That after seventy years  are  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, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12   Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13   And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.
14   And I will be found of you, says the LORD: and  I  will  turn  away  your  captivity,  and  I  will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.
15   Because you have said, The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16   Know that thus says the LORD of the king that sits upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwell in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17   Thus says 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 bad.
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 a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them:
19   Because they have not hearkened to my words, says the LORD, which I sent unto them by my  servants  the  prophets,  rising up early  and sending them; but you would not hear, says the LORD.
20   Hear you therefore the word of the LORD, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
21   Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of   Zedekiah   the   son of Mahseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will  deliver  them  into  the  hand  of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
22   And because of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
23   Because  they  have  committed  folly  in Israel,  and  have  committed  adultery  with  their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, says the LORD.
24   Thus shall you also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,
25   Thus speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because you have sent letters in  your  name  unto  all  the  people  that  are  at Jerusalem,   and   to   Zephaniah   the   son   of Mahseiah  the  priest,  and  to  all  the  priests, saying,
26   The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that you should be officers in the house of the LORD, over every man that is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that  you  should  put  him  in  prison,  and  in the stocks.
27   Now therefore why have you not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you?
28   For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build yourselves houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
29   And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing 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 says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because Shemaiah has prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:
32   Therefore thus says the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his descendants: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, says the LORD; because he has taught rebellion against the LORD.