291 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile , the priests , the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon . 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 departed from Jerusalem .) 3 The 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 , 4 "Thus says the Lord of hosts , the God of Israel , to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon , 5 ' Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce . 6 'Take wives and 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 . 7 ' Seek the welfare of the city where e I have sent you into exile , and pray to the Lord on its behalf ; for in its welfare you will have welfare .'
8 "For thus says the Lord 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 the dreams which they dream . 9 'For they prophesy falsely to you in My name ; I have not sent them,' declares the Lord . 10 "For thus says the Lord , 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon , I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place . 11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord , 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope . 12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart . 14 'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord , 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where e I have driven you,' declares the Lord , 'and I will bring you back to the place from where e I sent you into exile .'
15 "Because you have said , 'The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon '- 16 for thus says 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 with you into exile - 17 thus says the Lord 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 . 18 'I will pursue them with the sword , with famine and with pestilence ; and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth , to be a curse and a horror and a hissing , and a reproach among all the nations where e I have driven them, 19 because e they have not listened to My words ,' declares the Lord , 'which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets ; but you did not listen ,' declares the Lord . 20 "You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord , all you exiles , whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon . 21 "Thus says the Lord of hosts , the God of Israel , concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah , who are prophesying to you falsely in My name , 'Behold , I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon , and he will slay them before your eyes . 22 'Because of them a curse will be used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon , saying , "May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab , whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire , 23 because e they have acted foolishly 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 the Lord .' "
24 To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak , saying , 25 "Thus says the Lord of hosts , the God of Israel , 'Because e 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 , 26 "The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest , to be the overseer in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies , to put him in the stocks and in the iron collar , 27 now then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who prophesies to you? 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 produce .' ""' 29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet . 30 Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah , saying , 31 "Send to all the exiles , saying , 'Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite , "Because e Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie ," 32 therefore thus says the Lord , "Behold , I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants ; 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 the Lord , "because he has preached rebellion against the Lord .""'
