Now these are the words of the letter that Yirmeya the prophet sent from Yerushalayim to the residue of the elders who were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nevukhadneżżar had carried away captive from Yerushalayim to Bavel:

(after Yekhonya the king, and the queen mother, and the officers, the princes of Yehuda and Yerushalayim, and the craftsmen and the smiths, had departed from Yerushalayim;)

by the hand of El῾asa the son of Shefan, and Gemarya the son of Ḥilqiyya, (whom Żidqiyya king of Yehuda had sent to Nevukhad­neżżar king of Bavel) to Bavel, saying,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Yisra᾽el, to all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Yerushalayim to Bavel;

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

Take 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 you may be increased there, and not diminished.

And seek the peace of the city into which I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray to the Lord for it: for in its peace shall you have peace.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Yisra᾽el; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that are in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to the dreams which you encourage them to dream.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name: I have not sent them, says the Lord.

For thus says the Lord, That after seventy years are accomplished at Bavel I will take heed of you, and perform my good word towards you, in causing you to return to this place.

For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will hearken to you.

And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart.

And I will allow myself to be found by you, says the Lord: and I will restore you from your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places into which I have driven you, says the Lord; and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be driven away.

Because you have said, The Lord has raised us up prophets in Bavel;

thus says the Lord of the king that sits upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwell in this city, of your brethren that did not go out with you into captivity;

thus says 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 bad.

And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will make them for a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them:

because they have not hearkened to my words, says the Lord, which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, (sending them from morning till night; but you would not hear, says the Lord.)

Hear therefore the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Yerushalayim to Bavel:

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Yisra᾽el, of Aĥ᾽av the son of Qolaya, and of Żidqiyyahu the son of Ma῾aseya, who prophesy a lie to you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nevukhadneżżar king of Bavel; and he shall slay them before your eyes;

And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Yehuda who are in Bavel, saying, The Lord make thee like Żidqiyyahu and like Aĥ᾽av, whom the king of Bavel roasted in the fire;

because they have committed baseness in Yisra᾽el, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; but I am he who knows, and I am a witness, says the Lord.

Thus shalt thou also speak to Shema῾yahu the Neĥelamite, saying,

Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Yisra᾽el, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name to all the people that are at Yerushalayim, and to Żefanya the son of Ma῾aseya the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

The Lord has made thee priest in the place of Yehoyada the priest, that there should be officers in the house of the Lord, for every man that is mad, and acts the prophet, that thou shouldst put him in the stocks, and in the collar.

Now therefore why hast thou not rebuked Yirmeyahu of ῾Anatot, who acts the prophet to you?

seeing that he sent to us in Bavel, saying, This captivity is long: build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

And Żefanya the priest read this letter in the ears of Yirmeyahu the prophet.

Then came the word of the Lord to Yirmeyahu, saying,

Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shema῾ya the Neĥelamite; Because Shema῾ya has prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

therefore thus says the Lord; Behold, I will punish Shema῾ya the Neĥelamite, and his posterity: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, says the Lord; because he has uttered rebellion against the Lord.