Jeremiah 29 :: Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

Now these^H428 are the words^H1697 of the letter^H5612 which^H834 Jeremiah^H3414 the prophet^H5030 sent^H7971 from Jerusalem^H3389 to the rest^H3499 of the elders^H2205 of the exile^H1473, the priests^H3548, the prophets^H5030, and all^H3605 the people^H5971 whom^H834 Nebuchadnezzar^H5019 had taken^H1540 away^H1540 into^H1540 exile^H1473 from Jerusalem^H3389 to Babylon^H894.

Jer 29:2

Jer 29:2(This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had gone out from Jerusalem.)

Jer 29:3

Jer 29:3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

Jer 29:4

Jer 29:4“Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,

Jer 29:5

Jer 29:5‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit.

Jer 29:6

Jer 29:6‘Take wives and [fn]become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

Jer 29:7

Jer 29:7‘Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to Yahweh on its behalf; for in its peace you will have peace.’

Jer 29:8

Jer 29:8“For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams which you dream.

Jer 29:9

Jer 29:9‘For they prophesy a lie to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares Yahweh.

Jer 29:10

“For thus^H3541 says^H559 Yahweh^H3068, ‘When^H3588 seventy^H7657 years^H8141 have been^H4390 fulfilled^H4390 for Babylon^H894, I will [fn]visit^H6485 you and establish^H6965 My good^H2896 word^H1697 to you, to return^H7725 you to this^H2088 place^H4725.

Jer 29:11

Jer 29:11‘For I know the plans that I [fn]have for you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.

Jer 29:12

Jer 29:12‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

Jer 29:13

Jer 29:13‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jer 29:14

Jer 29:14‘I will be found by you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will [fn]return your [fn]fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have banished you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause you to return to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

Jer 29:15

“Because^H3588 you have said^H559, ‘Yahweh^H3068 has raised^H6965 up^H6965 prophets^H5030 for us in Babylon^H894’—

Jer 29:16

Jer 29:16for thus says Yahweh concerning the king who sits on the throne of David and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—

Jer 29:17

Jer 29:17thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness.

Jer 29:18

Jer 29:18‘I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will give them over to be a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and an object of horror and of hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have banished them,

Jer 29:19

Jer 29:19because they have not listened to My words,’ declares Yahweh, ‘which I sent to them by My slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending; but you did not listen,’ declares Yahweh.

Jer 29:20

Jer 29:20“You, therefore, hear the word of Yahweh, all you exiles, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Jer 29:21

“Thus^H3541 says^H559 Yahweh^H3068 of hosts^H6635, the God^H430 of Israel^H3478, concerning^H413 Ahab^H256 the son^H1121 of Kolaiah^H6964 and concerning^H413 Zedekiah^H6667 the son^H1121 of Maaseiah^H4641, who are prophesying^H5012 to you falsely^H8267 in My name^H8034, ‘Behold^H2009, I will give^H5414 them into the hand^H3027 of Nebuchadnezzar^H5019 king^H4428 of Babylon^H894, and he will strike^H5221 them down^H5221 before your eyes^H5869.

Jer 29:22

Jer 29:22‘And because of them a curse will be [fn]used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire

Jer 29:23

Jer 29:23because they have acted with wicked foolishness in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who knows and am a witness,” declares Yahweh.’”

Jer 29:24

And to Shemaiah^H8098 the Nehelamite^H5161 you shall speak^H559, saying^H559,

Jer 29:25

Jer 29:25“Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

Jer 29:26

Jer 29:26“Yahweh has given you to be a priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the [fn]overseer in the house of Yahweh over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and in the iron collar,

Jer 29:27

Jer 29:27so now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who prophesies to you?

Jer 29:28

Jer 29:28“For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be long; build houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”’”

Jer 29:29

So Zephaniah^H6846 the priest^H3548 read^H7121 this^H2088 letter^H5612 in^H7121 the hearing^H241 of Jeremiah^H3414 the prophet^H5030.

Jer 29:30

Jer 29:30Then came the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah, saying,

Jer 29:31

Jer 29:31“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

Jer 29:32

Jer 29:32therefore thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his seed; he will not have anyone living among this people, and he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares Yahweh, “because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.”’”