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A
Letter to the Exiles
29:1 Now 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;
29:2 (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;)
29:3 By 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,
29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto
all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be
carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens,
and eat the fruit of them;
29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and 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.
29:7 And seek 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.
29:8 For 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.
29:9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have
not sent them, saith the LORD.
29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be
accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my
good word toward you, in causing you to return to this
place.
29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give
you an expected end.
29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray
unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall
search for me with all your heart.
29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I
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.
29:15 Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up
prophets in Babylon;
29:16 Know 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;
29:17 Thus 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.
29:18 And 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:
29:19 Because 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.
29:20 Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the
captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
29:21 Thus 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;
29:22 And 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;
29:23 Because 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.
Message to Shemaiah
29:24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite,
saying,
29:25 Thus 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,
29:26 The 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.
29:27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of
Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?
29:28 For 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.
29:29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears
of Jeremiah the prophet.
29:30 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
29:31 Send 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:
29:32 Therefore 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. |
Cults 
Why Did God Permit Sin?
