Jeremiah 29

Instructions for Exiles Jeremiah 29:3–7

³Verse 3. 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). It said: ⁴Verse 4. Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵Verse 5. “Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶Verse 6. Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished. ⁷Verse 7. Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”

Warning Against False Prophets Jeremiah 29:8–14

⁸Verse 8. For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. ⁹Verse 9. For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says Yahweh. ¹⁰Verse 10. For Yahweh says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. ¹¹Verse 11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

¹²Verse 12. You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³Verse 13. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. ¹⁴Verse 14. I will be found by you,” says Yahweh, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says Yahweh. I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”

Judgment on Remaining Jerusalemites Jeremiah 29:15–19

¹⁵Verse 15. Because you have said, “Yahweh has raised us up prophets in Babylon;” ¹⁶Verse 16. Yahweh says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone with you into captivity; ¹⁷Verse 17. Yahweh of Armies says: “Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can’t be eaten, they are so bad. ¹⁸Verse 18. I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

¹⁹Verse 19. because they have not listened to my words,” says Yahweh, “with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear,” says Yahweh.

Specific Prophecies Against False Prophets Jeremiah 29:20–23

²⁰Verse 20. Hear therefore Yahweh’s word, all you captives, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²¹Verse 21. Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: “Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he will kill them before your eyes. ²²Verse 22. A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;’

²³Verse 23. because they have done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them. I am he who knows, and am witness,” says Yahweh.

Message to Shemaiah the Nehelamite Jeremiah 29:24–29

²⁴Verse 24. Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, ²⁵Verse 25. “Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶Verse 26. “Yahweh has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in Yahweh’s house, for every man who is crazy, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles. ²⁷Verse 27. Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

²⁸Verse 28. because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long. Build houses, and dwell in them. Plant gardens, and eat their fruit?”’” ²⁹Verse 29. Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

Conclusion on Shemaiah's Fate Jeremiah 29:30–32

³⁰Verse 30. Then Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, saying, ³¹Verse 31. “Send to all of the captives, saying, ‘Yahweh says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn’t send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie;” ³²Verse 32. therefore Yahweh says, “Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. He will not have a man to dwell among this people. He won’t see the good that I will do to my people,” says Yahweh, “because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.”’”