1These are the words from the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders who were taken captive, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2(This was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem).
3The letter was delivered by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter said,
4Yahweh, the God of Israel, the ruler of armies, says this to all the captives whom I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5"Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.
6Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so they can have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.
7Work for the well-being of the city where I have sent you as exiles, and pray to Yahweh for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
8For Yahweh, the God of Israel, the ruler of armies, says: "Do not let your prophets or your fortune-tellers among you deceive you, and do not pay attention to the dreams you encourage them to have.
9For they prophesy lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," says Yahweh.
10For Yahweh says, "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
11For I know the plans I have for you," says Yahweh, "plans for peace and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
12You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13You will search for me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
14"I will be found by you," says Yahweh, "and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you," says Yahweh. "And I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."
15Because you have said, "Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon";
16Yahweh speaks concerning the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who live in this city, your relatives who did not go with you into captivity:
17Yahweh of Armies says, “Look, I will send war, hunger, and disease upon them. I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
18I will chase them with war, hunger, and disease. I will hand them over to be tossed around among all the kingdoms of the earth. They will be a horrible sight, a shock, a scorn, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them.
19This is because they did not listen to my words,” says Yahweh. “I sent my servants the prophets to them again and again, but you would not listen,” says Yahweh.
20Therefore, listen to Yahweh’s word, all you who are in captivity whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are falsely prophesying to you in my name: “Look, I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will kill them before your eyes.
22All the captives of Judah in Babylon will use them as part of a curse, saying, ‘May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’
23This is because they have done foolish things in Israel, committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and spoken lies in my name that I did not command them. I am the one who knows and is a witness,” says Yahweh.
24You must speak concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Say,
25“This is what Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests, saying,
26“Yahweh has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, so there should be officers in Yahweh’s house to deal with every crazy person who pretends to be a prophet. You should put him in the stocks and in chains.”
27So why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who acts as a prophet among you,
28because he sent us a message in Babylon saying, ‘The captivity will be long: build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit’?”’”
29Zephaniah the priest read this letter aloud to Jeremiah the prophet.
30Then Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
31“Send a message to all the captives, saying, ‘Yahweh says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie,”
32therefore Yahweh says, “Look, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will not have anyone alive among these people, nor will he see the good that I will do for my people,” says Yahweh, “because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.”’”