Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah Chapter 29 KJV

1Jeremiah by letter adviseth the captives in Babylon to live quietly there, 8and not to believe the illusions of their false prophets: 10he assureth them of a gracious return after seventy years, 15and foretelleth the destruction of those that remained at Jerusalem. 20He sheweth the fearful end of two of their lying prophets. 24Shemaiah having written a letter from Babylon against Jeremiah, 30his doom is likewise foretold.
1 Now these are the words of 1the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of 2the elders which were carried away captives, and 3to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
2 (after that 1Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the aeunuchs, 2the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)
3 By the hand of Elasah the son of 1Shaphan, and 2Gemariah the son of 3Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom 1I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
5 1Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
6 1Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; 2and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
7 And 1seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
8 ¶ For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; 1Let not your prophets and 2your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9 For they prophesy afalsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
10 ¶ For thus saith the Lord, That after 1seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and 2perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
11 For I know 1the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you aan 2expected end.
12 Then shall ye 1call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, 2and I will hearken unto you.
13 And 1ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me 2with all your heart.
14 And 1I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and 2I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
15 ¶ Because ye have said, The Lord hath raised us up 1prophets in Babylon;
16 know that 1thus saith the Lord of the king that 2sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, 1I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them 2like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and 1will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, ato be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, 2among all the nations whither I have driven them:
19 Because 1they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the Lord.
20 1Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom 2I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
21 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, 1which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
22 And of them shall be taken up 1a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon 2roasted in the fire;
23 Because they 1have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; 2even I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord.
24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the aNehelamite, saying,
25 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast 1sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to 2Zephaniah the son of 3Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
26 The Lord hath made thee priest in the stead of 1Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the Lord, for every man that is 2mad, and 3maketh himself a prophet, that 4thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
27 Now therefore why hast thou not 1reproved 2Jeremiah of Anathoth, which 3maketh himself a prophet to you?
28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, 1This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
29 And 1Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
30 ¶ Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,
31 1Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; 2Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord; 1Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the Lord; 2because he hath taught arebellion against the Lord.
Jeremiah 29