29 These are the words of the letter that Yeremyah the prophet sent from Yerushalom to the rest of the elders among the exiled people, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar had taken into exile from Yerushalom to Babylon, 2 after King Yec·o·nyʹah, the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Yerushalom, and the craftsmen and the metalworkers had gone out of Yerushalom. 3 He sent the letter by the hand of Al·aʹsah the son of Shaʹphan and Gem·a·ryʹah the son of Hil·kyʹah, whom King Zed·e·kyʹah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon. It said:
4 “This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} of armies, the Al {pre. Ahl} of Isra'Al, says to all the exiled people, whom I have caused to go into exile from Yerushalom to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Become many there, and do not decrease. 7 And seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray in its behalf to Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For this is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} of armies, the Al {pre. Ahl} of Isra'Al, says: “Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they are dreaming. 9 For ‘they are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}.”’”
10 “For this is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says, ‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place.’
11 “‘For I well know the thoughts that I am thinking toward you,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope. 12 And you will call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’
13 “‘You will seek me and find me, for you will search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will let you find me,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}. ‘And I will gather your captives and collect you together out of all the nations and places to which I have dispersed you,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}. ‘And I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to go into exile.’
15 “But you have said, ‘Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.’
16 “For this is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says to the king sitting on the throne of David and to all the people dwelling in this city, your brothers who have not gone with you into exile, 17 ‘This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} of armies says: “Here I am sending against them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.”’
18 “‘And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, and a curse, and an object of astonishment, something to whistle at, and a reproach among all the nations to which I disperse them, 19 because they have not listened to my words that I sent to them with my servants the prophets,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, ‘sending them again and again.’
“‘But you have not listened,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}.
20 “Therefore, hear the word of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, all you exiled people, whom I have sent away from Yerushalom to Babylon. 21 This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} of armies, the Al {pre. Ahl} of Isra'Al, says concerning Aʹhab the son of Ko·layʹah and concerning Zed·e·kyʹah the son of Ma·a·seyʹah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name, ‘Here I am giving them into the hand of King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes. 22 And what happens to them will become a curse spoken by all the exiles of Judah in Babylon: “May Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} make you like Zed·e·kyʹah and like Aʹhab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!” 23 for they have acted disgracefully in Isra'Al, committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking false words in my name that I did not command them.
“‘“I am the One who knows, and I am a witness,” declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}.’”
24 “And to She·mayʹah of Ne·helʹam you will say, 25 ‘This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} of armies, the Al {pre. Ahl} of Isra'Al, says: “Because you sent in your name letters to all the people who are in Yerushalom, to Zeph·a·nyʹah son of Ma·a·seyʹah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} has made you priest instead of Ye·hoiʹa·da the priest to become the overseer of the house of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, to be in charge of any madman who acts like a prophet and to put him into the stocks and into the pillory; 27 why, then, have you not rebuked Yeremyah of Anʹa·thoth, who is acting as a prophet for you? 28 For he even sent to us at Babylon, saying: “It will be a long time! Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit,—”’”’”
29 When Zeph·a·nyʹah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Yeremyah the prophet, 30 the word of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} came to Yeremyah, saying: 31 “Send to all the exiled people, saying, ‘This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says concerning She·mayʹah of Ne·helʹam: “Because She·mayʹah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he tried to make you trust in lies, 32 therefore this is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says, ‘Here I am turning my attention to She·mayʹah of Ne·helʹam and his descendants. Not one man of his will survive among this people, and he will not see the good that I will do for my people,’ declares Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, ‘for he has urged rebellion against Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}.’”’”