Jeremiah

Jeremiah 29 ©

1 Jeremiah by letter adviseth the captives in Babylon to live quietly there, 8 and not to believe the illusions of their false prophets: 10 he assureth them of a gracious return after seventy years, 15 and foretelleth the destruction of those that remained at Jerusalem. 20 He sheweth the fearful end of two of their lying prophets. 24 Shemaiah having written a letter from Babylon against Jeremiah, 30 his doom is likewise foretold.

1

NOW these are the words of athe letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of bthe elders which were carried away captives, and cto the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

a 1Th. 3.2,3. Ro. 1 to Jude. Re. 2; 3.
b ch. 19.1; 26.8,10,16,17; 24.1-7. 2Ki. 24.12-16. Eze. 8.1.
c ch. 23.33.
2

(After that dJeconiah the king, and the queen, and the 1eunuchs, ethe princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)

d 2Ki. 24.12,15.
e ch. 24.1.
3

By the hand of Elasah the son of fShaphan, and gGemariah the son of hHilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

f ch. 26.24; 39.14. 2Ki. 22.12. 2Ch. 34.8.
g 2Ki. 22.8, not ch. 36.10.
h 1Ch. 6.13.
4

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom iI have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

i ch. 24.5; 25.9. Is. 5.5; 10.5; 59.1,2; 45.7. Am. 3.6.
5

jBuild ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

j v.10,28. Eze. 11.3.
6

kTake ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; land 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.

k ch. 16.2.
l De. 7.3. Ge. 21.21; 24.3,4; 28.2; 29.19; 34.4. Ex. 22.17. Ju. 1.12,13; 12.9; 14.2. 1Co. 7.38.
7

And mseek 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.

m Da. 4.27; 6.5. Ezr. 6.10. 1Ti. 2.1,2.
8

¶For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; nLet not your prophets and oyour *diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

n ch. 14.14; 23.21; 27.14,15; 5.31; 28.15. Eze. 13. Ep. 5.6.
o ch. 27.9.
9

For they prophesy 2falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

10

¶For thus saith the LORD, That after pseventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and qperform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

p 2Ch. 36.21-23. Ezr. 1.1,2. ch. 25.12; 27.7,22. Da. 9.2. Zec. 7.5. Is. 23.15,17.
q ch. 32.42-44; 33.14.
11

For I know rthe thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you 3an sexpected end.

r Is. 55.8-13; 40-66. ch. 3; 30; 31; 33. Eze. 34-48. Ps. 40.5; 136.23; 106.5.
s La. 3.26.
12

Then shall ye tcall upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, uand I will hearken unto you.

t Ne. 2.4. Da. 9.2-19. Le. 26.40-45. De. 30. ch. 31.9; 33.3. Ps. 10.17; 102.17.
u Is. 65.24.
13

And vye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me wwith all your heart.

v Mat. 7.7,8. Ps. 91.15; 32.6. De. 4.7. Is. 55.6.
w ch. 24.7. Eze. 6.9; 36.37. De. 4.29. Ps. 119.2,10,58.
14

And xI will be found of you, saith the LORD: and yI 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.

x Ps. 32.6; 78.34; 46.1. Is. 45.19; 55.6. ch. 10.18. De. 4.29.
y Ps. 126.1,4. ch. 23.3-8; 16.14,15; 3.14-23; 24.5-7; 30; 31; 33; 32.36-44; 46.27,28; 50.4,5,19,20,28,34; 51.6,10. v.11. Eze. 11.17-20; 20.34-44; 34; 36; 37; 40-48. Am. 9.14. Mi. 4.12. Zep. 3.20.
15

¶Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up zprophets in Babylon;

z Eze. 1.1,3. v.8,21. 2Pe. 2.1.
16

Know that athus saith the LORD of the king that bsitteth 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;

a ch. 24.8-10; 22.22; 34.17-22; 35.13-17; 38.2,3,23; 25.9; 26.6. Eze. 4-9; 14-24.
b ch. 22.2.
17

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, cI will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them dlike *vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

c ch. 24.10.
d ch. 24.8.
18

And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and ewill deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, 4to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, famong all the nations whither I have driven them:

e ch. 15.4. Le. 26.33. De. 28.25.
f ch. 26.6.
19

Because gthey 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.

g ch. 6.19; 7.13,24,26; 25.3,4,7; 26.5; 32.33; 34.17; 35.14-16; 44.4,5. Zec. 7.11-13.
20

hHear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom iI have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

h v.4. Re. 2.29. Eze. 2.7; 3.11,15,17.
i v.4. ch. 24.5. Mi. 4.10. Am. 3.6. Ge. 45.7,8. 2Ki. 24.3.
21

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, jwhich 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;

j v.8,9. 2Pe. 2.1. ch. 14.14,15. La. 2.14.
22

And of them shall be taken up ka 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 lroasted in the fire;

k ch. 24.9. Is. 65.15. Ge. 48.20. Ru. 4.11.
l Ge. 38.24. Le. 20.14; 21.9. Da. 3.6,21.
23

Because they mhave 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; neven I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.

m ch. 23.14,21. Zep. 3.4. Eze. 22.25,28.
n ch. 13.27; 23.13,14. Mal. 3.5. He. 13.5. Pr. 5.21. ch. 16.17.
24

Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the 5Nehelamite, saying,

25

Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast osent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to pZephaniah the son of qMaaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

o 1Ki. 21.8-13. 2Ki. 10.1-7.
p ch. 21.1; 52.24; 37.3. v.29. 2Ki. 25.18.
q ch. 35.4.
26

The LORD hath made thee priest in the *stead of rJehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is smad, and tmaketh himself a prophet, that uthou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

r Not as 2Ki. 11; 12.
s 2Ki. 9.11. Ho. 9.7. Ac. 26.24. Jn. 10.20. ch. 20.1,2.
t 1Sa. 18.10.
u ch. 38.6,28. 2Ch. 18.26.
27

Now therefore why hast thou not vreproved wJeremiah of Anathoth, which xmaketh himself a prophet to you?

v Ac. 4.17,21; 5.40.
w ch. 1.1; 11.21.
x Nu. 16.3. ch. 43.2. 2Ti. 3.8.
28

For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, yThis captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

y v.5,10.
29

And zZephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

z ch. 21.1; 37.3; 52.24. 2Ki. 25.18. v.25.
30

¶Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

31

aSend to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; bBecause that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

a v.20.
b ch. 28.15,16. 2Pe. 2.1. v.9,23. ch. 14.14,15; 23.21,32; 6.12; 5.31.
32

Therefore thus saith the LORD; cBehold, 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; dbecause he hath taught 6rebellion against the LORD.

c Eze. 18.4. Ro. 2.8,9. Ex. 20.5. Is. 14.20-22. Am. 7.17. ch. 20.6; 17.6. Job 15.33,34; 18.17.
d ch. 28.16.