17And the prophet Hananiah died that year, in the seventh month.
29 This is the text of the letter which the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the priests, the prophets, the rest of the elders of the exile community, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon—2after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and smiths had left Jerusalem. 3[The letter was sent] through Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had dispatched to Babylon, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
4Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to the whole community which I exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take 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. Multiply there, do not decrease. 7And seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to the LORD in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.
8For thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Let not the prophets and diviners in your midst deceive you, and pay no heed to the dreams theya dream. 9For they prophesy to you in My name falsely; I did not send them—declares the Lord.
10For thus said the LORD: When Babylon’s seventy years are over, I will take note of you, and I will fulfill to you My promise of favor—to bring you back to this place. 11For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you—declares the LORD—plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future. 12When you call Me, and come and pray to Me, I will give heed to you. 13You will search for Me and find Me, if only you seek Me wholeheartedly. 14I will be at hand for you— declares the LORD—and I will restore your fortunes. And I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have banished you—declares the LORD—and I will bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you.
15But you say, “The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.”b
16Thus said the LORD concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did not go out with you into exile—17thus said the LORD of Hosts: I am going to let loose sword, famine, and pestilence against them and I will treat them as loathsome figs, so bad that they cannot be eaten.c 18I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror and hissingd and scorn among all the nations to which I shall banish them, 19because they did not heed My words—declares the LORD—when I persistently sent to them My servants, the prophets, and theya did not heed—declares the LORD.
20But you, the whole exile community which I banished from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of the LORD! 21Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in My name: I am going to deliver them into the hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall put them to death before your eyes. 22And the whole community of Judah in Babylonia shall use a curse derived from their fate: “May God make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon consigned to the flames!”—23because they did vile things in Israel, committing adultery with the wives of their fellows and speaking in My name false words which I had not commanded them. I am He who knows and bears witness—declares the LORD.
24Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite youe shall say: 25Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to the rest of the priests, as follows, 26“The LORD appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada, f-to exercise authority -f in the House of the LORD over every madman who wants to play the prophet, to put him into the stocksg and into the pillory.g 27Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who plays the prophet among you? 28For he has actually sent a message to us in Babylon to this effect: It will be a long time. Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and enjoy their fruit.”—
29When the priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah, 30the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 31Send a message to the entire exile community: “Thus said the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you false promises, 32assuredly, thus said the LORD: I am going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There shall be no man of his line dwelling among this people or seeing the good things I am going to do for My people—declares the LORD—for he has urged disloyalty toward the LORD.”
30 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2Thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: Write down in a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you. 3For days are coming—declares the LORD—when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah, said the LORD; and I will bring them back to the land that I gave their fathers, and they shall possess it. 4And these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
5Thus said the LORD:
We have heard cries of panic,
Terror without relief.
6Ask and see:
Surely males do not bear young!
Why then do I see every man
With his hands on his loins
Like a woman in labor?
Why have all faces turned pale?
7Ah, that day is awesome;
There is none like it!
It is a time of trouble for Jacob,
But he shall be delivered from it.
8In that day—declares the LORD of Hosts—I will break the yoke from off your neck and I will rip off your bonds. Strangers shall no longer make slaves of them; 9instead, they shall serve the LORD their God and David, the king whom I will raise up for them.
10But you,
Have no fear, My servant Jacob
—declares the LORD—
Be not dismayed, O Israel!
I will deliver you from far away,
Your folk from their land of captivity.
And Jacob shall again have calm
And quiet with none to trouble him;
11For I am with you to deliver you
—declares the LORD.
I will make an end of all the nations
Among which I have dispersed you;
But I will not make an end of you!
I will not leave you unpunished,
But will chastise you in measure.
12For thus said the LORD:
Your injury is incurable,
Your wound severe;
13a-No one pleads for the healing of your sickness,-a
There is no remedy, no recovery for you.
14All your lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you out;
For I have struck you as an enemy strikes,
With cruel chastisement,
Because your iniquity was so great
And your sins so many.
15Why cry out over your injury,
That your wound is incurable?
I did these things to you
Because your iniquity was so great
And your sins so many.
16Assuredly,
All who wanted to devour you shall be devoured,
And every one of your foes shall go into captivity;
Those who despoiled you shall be despoiled,
And all who pillaged you I will give up to pillage.
17But I will bring healing to you
And cure you of your wounds
—declares the LORD.
Though they called you “Outcast,
That Zion whom no one seeks out,”
18Thus said the LORD:
I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
And have compassion upon his dwellings.
The city shall be rebuilt on its mound,b
And the fortress in its proper place.
19From them shall issue thanksgiving
And the sound of dancers.
I will multiply them,
And they shall not be few;
I will make them honored,
And they shall not be humbled.
20His children shall be as of old,
And his community shall be established by My grace;
And I will deal with all his oppressors.
21His chieftain shall be one of his own,
His ruler shall come from his midst;
I will bring him near, that he may approach Me
—declares the LORD—
For who would otherwise dare approach Me?
22You shall be My people,
And I will be your God.
23Lo, the storm of the LORD goes forth in fury,
A raging tempest;
It shall whirl down upon the head of the wicked.
24The anger of the LORD shall not turn back
Till it has fulfilled and completed His purposes.
In the days to come
You shall perceive it.
[31]1cAt that time—declares the LORD—I will be God to all the clans of Israel, and they shall be My people.
31 2Thus said the LORD:
The people escaped from the sword,
Found favor in the wilderness;
When Israel was marching homeward
3The LORD revealed Himself to mea of old.
Eternal love I conceived for you then;
Therefore I continue My grace to you.
4I will build you firmly again,
O Maiden Israel!
Again you shall take up your timbrels
And go forth to the rhythm of the dancers.
5Again you shall plant vineyards
On the hills of Samaria;
Men shall plant and live to enjoy them.
6For the day is coming when watchmen
Shall proclaim on the heights of Ephraim:
Come, let us go up to Zion,
To the LORD our God!
7For thus said
