Jeremiah chapter 29

Jeremiah’s first letter to the exiles in Babylon. False prophets among the exiles in Babylon. Jeremiah’s second letter to the exiles in Babylon.

 


 

JEREMIAH’S FIRST LETTER TO THE EXILES IN BABYLON

 

VERSE 1. Now 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, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

 

VERSE 2. (after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed from Jerusalem),

had departed from Jerusalem. King Jehoiachin and the queen mother were deported in 597 BC.

 

VERSE 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:

 

VERSE 4. The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

 

VERSE 5. “Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.

NCV translation. Build houses and settle in the land. Plant gardens and eat the food they grow.

Build houses and settle. The LORD God calls them to settle down.

They will be in that location for decades.

 

VERSE 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.

Multiply there, and don’t be diminished. The LORD God called them to be fruitful and to have offspring.

In our day, the LORD God calls us to be spiritually fruitful and to have spiritual offspring.

 

VERSE 7. Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”

in its peace you will have peace. They were to pray for the peace of the city where they lived.

Do you pray for the peace of the city where you live?

 

VERSE 8. For the LORD of Hosts, 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.

BBE translation. For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: Do not let yourselves be tricked by the prophets who are among you, and the readers of signs, and give no attention to their dreams which they may have;

Do not let yourselves be tricked. Many preachers are charlatans.

 

VERSE 9. For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD.

NCV translation. They are prophesying lies to you, saying that their message is from me. But I did not send them,” says the Lord.

I did not send them. False prophets tell us they are prophesying in the name of the LORD God. But the LORD God did not send them. What they prophesy is a lie. They are agents of evil. Read more »

 

VERSE 10. For the LORD 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.

After seventy years are accomplished. Jeremiah prophesied that the exile in Babylon would last for seventy years. Read more »

 

VERSE 11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

NIV translation. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Book of Jeremiah and from the entire Bible.

plans to prosper you. Amidst a sea of doom-and-gloom, this verse shines like a locomotive headlight in the night.

hope and a future. The Bible offers the possibility of a future filled with hope. Read more »

 

VERSE 12. You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

NIV translation. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Book of Jeremiah and from the entire Bible.

Seeking the kingdom of God is to be our number one priority. Yet for many of us, our use of time and money show that it is a low priority. Read more »

 

VERSE 13. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

NIV translation. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

This verse is fantastic! Would you consider memorizing it? More great verses to memorize from the Book of Jeremiah and from the entire Bible.

Seeking the kingdom of God is to be our number one priority. Yet for many of us, our use of time and money show that it is a low priority. Read more »

 

VERSE 14. I will be found by you,” says the LORD, “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 the LORD. I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”

 

FALSE PROPHETS AMONG THE EXILES IN BABYLON

 

VERSE 15. Because you have said, “The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon;”

prophets in Babylon. Among the exiles in Babylon, some men had declared themselves to be prophets of the LORD God.

And the crowd accepted them.

 

VERSE 16. the LORD 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;

 

VERSE 17. the LORD of Hosts 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.

 

VERSE 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,

 

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

 

VERSE 20. Hear therefore the LORD’s word, all you captives, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

 

VERSE 21. The LORD of Hosts, 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.

Ahab the son of Kolaiah. He was a false prophet. He was with the exiles in Babylon.

Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah. He too was a false prophet. He was with the exiles in Babylon.

prophesy a lie to you in my name. False prophets tell us they are prophesying in the name of the LORD God. But the LORD God did not send them. What they prophesy is a lie. They are agents of evil. Read more »

he will kill them before your eyes. These false prophets will be put to death.

 

VERSE 22. A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘The LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;’

 

VERSE 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 the LORD.

MSG translation. Those two men, sex predators and prophet-impostors, got what they deserved. They pulled every woman they got their hands on into bed – their neighbors’ wives, no less – and preached lies claiming it was my Message. I never sent those men. I’ve never had anything to do with them.” God’s Decree. “They won’t get away with a thing. I’ve witnessed it all.”

spoken words in my name falsely. False prophets tell us they are prophesying in the name of the LORD God. But the LORD God did not send them. What they prophesy is a lie. They are agents of evil. Read more »

 

JEREMIAH’S SECOND LETTER TO THE EXILES IN BABYLON

 

VERSE 24. Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

Shemaiah the Nehelamite. He was a false prophet. He was with the exiles in Babylon.

 

VERSE 25. “The LORD of Hosts, 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,

 

VERSE 26. “The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the LORD’s house, for every man who is crazy, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

makes himself a prophet. There were plenty of self-appointed prophets.

 

VERSE 27. Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

 

VERSE 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?” ’ ”

 

VERSE 29. Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

 

VERSE 30. Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,

 

VERSE 31. “Send to all of the captives, saying, ‘The LORD 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;”

 

VERSE 32. therefore the LORD 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 the LORD, “because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.” ’ ”

 


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JEREMIAH

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