1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, 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, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)eunuchs: or, chamberlains
3By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,
4Beginilah firman TUHAN angkatan alam semesta, Allah Israel, kepada semua yang dibawa sebagai orang tawanan, yang telah aku jadikan untuk dibuang keluar dari Yerusalem ke Babel;
5Binalah rumah, dan berdiam di dalamnya; dan tanamlah kebun, dan makanlah hasilnya;
6Kalian dapatkan isteri, dan peranakkan anak lelaki dan anak perempuan; dan dapatkan isteri bagi anak lelaki kalian, dan berilah anak perempuan kalian kepada suami, supaya mereka dapat melahirkan anak lelaki dan anak perempuan; supaya kalian akan berganda bilangan di sana, dan tidak menyusut bilangan.
7Dan carilah keamanan kota itu iaitu tempat yang kusebabkan kalian untuk dibawa sebagai tawanan, dan berdoalah kepada TUHAN baginya: sebab dalam keamanannya kalian akan mendapat keamanan.
8For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.falsely: Heb. in a lie
10Sebab beginilah firman TUHAN, Bahawasanya selepas tujuh puluh tahun genap di Babel aku akan melawati kalian, dan melaksanakan firmanku yang baik terhadap kalian, dengan menyebabkan kalian kembali ke tempat ini.
11Sebab aku tahu fikiran yang kufikir terhadap kalian, firman Tuhan, fikiran tentang damai sejahtera, dan bukan untuk celaka, untuk memberi kalian pengakhiran yang diharapkan.
12Kemudian kalian akan menyeru kepadaku, dan kalian akan datang dan berdoa kepadaku, dan aku akan mengendahkan kalian.
13Dan kamu akan mencariku, dan menemuiku, apabila kamu mencariku dengan segenap hatimu.
14Dan aku akan ditemui kalian, firman TUHAN: dan aku akan memalingkan keadaan tertawan kalian, dan aku akan mengumpulkan kalian dari segala bangsa, dan dari segala tempat yang telah kuhalau kalian, firman TUHAN; dan aku akan membawa kalian semula kepada tempat yang telah kusebabkan kalian ditawan.
15Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth 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;
17Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
18And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:to be a curse: Heb. for a curse
19Because they 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.
20Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
21Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which 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;
22And of them shall be taken up a 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 roasted in the fire;
23Because they have 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; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.
24Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,Nehelamite: or, dreamer
25Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
26The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
27Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?
28For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
30Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
31Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:
32Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, 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; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.rebellion: Heb. revolt