32 verses
1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2(after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the eunuchs, [and] the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem), 3by 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, 4Thus says ForeverOne of Armies, the God of Israel, to all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
6Take wives, and father 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 don't be diminished.
7Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to ForeverOne for it; for in its peace you shall have peace.
8For thus says ForeverOne of Armies, the God of Israel: Don't let your prophets who are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.
9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name: I have not sent them, says ForeverOne.
10For thus says ForeverOne, 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.
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says ForeverOne, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.
12You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.
14I will be found by you, says ForeverOne, 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 ForeverOne; and I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.
15Because you have said, ForeverOne has raised us up prophets in Babylon; 16thus says ForeverOne concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven't gone forth with you into captivity; 17thus says ForeverOne of Armies; Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.
18I 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, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them; 19because they have not listened to my words, says ForeverOne, with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear, says ForeverOne.
20Hear therefore the word of ForeverOne, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21Thus says ForeverOne of Armies, the God of Israel, 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 shall kill them before your eyes; 22and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ForeverOne make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; 23because they have worked folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn't command them; and I am he who knows, and am witness, says ForeverOne.
24Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, 25Thus speaks ForeverOne of Armies, the God of Israel, saying, 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, 26ForeverOne has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of ForeverOne, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.
27Now therefore, why haven't you rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you, 28because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, [The captivity] is long: build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them?
29Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
30Then came the word of ForeverOne to Jeremiah, saying, 31Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus says ForeverOne 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; 32therefore thus says ForeverOne, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his offspring; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, nor will he see the good that I will do to my people, says ForeverOne, because he has spoken rebellion against ForeverOne.
