Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

1Now these are the wordes of the booke that Ieremiah the Prophet sent from Ierusalem vnto the residue of the Elders which were caryed away captiues, and to the Priestes, and to the Prophets, and to all the people whome Nebuchad-nezzar had caried away captiue from Ierusalem to Babel: 2(After that Ieconiah the King, and the Queene, and the eunuches, the princes of Iudah, and of Ierusalem, and the workemen, and cunning men were departed from Ierusalem) 3By the hand of Elasah the sonne of Shaphan and Gemariah the sonne of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah King of Iudah sent vnto Babel to Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel) saying, 4Thus hath the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel spoken vnto all that are caryed away captiues, whome I haue caused to be caryed away captiues from Ierusalem vnto Babel: 5Buylde you houses to dwell in, and plant you gardens, and eate the fruites of them. 6Take you wiues, and beget sonnes and daughters, and take wiues for your sonnes, and giue your daughters to husbands, that they may beare sonnes and daughters, that ye may bee increased there, and not diminished. 7And seeke the prosperitie of the citie, whither I haue caused you to be caried away captiues, and pray vnto the Lorde for it: for in the peace thereof shall you haue peace. 8For thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, Let not your prophets, and your southsayers that bee among you, deceiue you, neither giue eare to your dreames, which you dreame. 9For they prophecie you a lie in my Name: I haue not sent them, saith the Lorde.

10But thus saith the Lorde, That after seuentie yeeres be accomplished at Babel, I will visite you, and performe my good promes toward you, and cause you to returne to this place. 11For I knowe the thoughtes, that I haue thought towards you, saith the Lorde, euen the thoughtes of peace, and not of trouble, to giue you an ende, and your hope. 12Then shall you crie vnto mee, and ye shal go and pray vnto me, and I will heare you, 13And ye shall seeke mee and finde mee, because ye shall seeke mee with all your heart. 14And I wil be found of you, saith the Lord, and I will turne away your captiuitie, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places, whither I haue cast you, saith the Lord, and will bring you againe vnto the place, whence I caused you to be caryed away captiue.

15Because ye haue sayd, The Lord hath raised vs vp Prophets in Babel, 16Therefore thus saith the Lorde of the King, that sitteth vpon the throne of Dauid, and of all the people, that dwell in this citie, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captiuitie: 17Euen thus sayth the Lorde of hostes, Beholde, I will sende vpon them the sworde, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figges, that cannot bee eaten, they are so naughtie. 18And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence: and I will make them a terror to all kingdomes of the earth, and a curse, and astonishment and an hissing, and a reproche among all the nations whither I haue cast them, 19Because they haue not hearde my words, saith the Lorde, which I sent vnto them by my seruantes the Prophetes, rising vp earely, and sending them, but yee woulde not heare, saith the Lorde. 20Heare ye therefore the word of the Lord all ye of the captiuitie, whome I haue sent from Ierusalem to Babel.

21Thus saith the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, of Ahab the sonne of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the sonne of Maaseiah, which prophecie lyes vnto you in my Name, Beholde, I will deliuer them into the hande of Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22And al they of the captiuitie of Iudah, that are in Babel, shal take vp this curse against them, and say, The Lorde make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whome the King of Babel burnt in the fire, 23Because they haue committed vilenie in Israel, and haue committed adulterie with their neighbours wiues, and haue spoken lying words in my Name, which I haue not commaunded them, euen I knowe it, and testifie it, saith the Lorde.

The Message to Shemaiah

24Thou shalt also speake to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25Thus speaketh the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy Name vnto all the people, that are at Ierusalem, and to Zephaniah the sonne of Maaseiah the Priest, and to all the Priests, saying, 26The Lorde hath made thee Priest for Iehoiada the Priest, that yee should bee officers in the House of the Lorde, for euery man that raueth and maketh himselfe a Prophet, to put him in prison and in the stockes. 27Nowe therefore why hast not thou reproued Ieremiah of Anathoth, which prophecieth vnto you? 28For, for this cause hee sent vnto vs in Babel, saying, This captiuitie is long: buyld houses to dwell in, and plant gardens, and eate the fruites of them.

29And Zephaniah the Priest red this letter in the eares of Ieremiah the Prophet. 30Then came the worde of the Lorde vnto Ieremiah, saying, 31Send to all them of the captiuitie, saying, Thus saith the Lorde of Shemaiah the Nehelamite, Because that Shemaiah hath prophecied vnto you, and I sent him not, and hee caused you to trust in a lye, 32Therefore thus saieth the Lord, Behold, I wil visite Shemaiah the Nehelamite, & his seede: hee shall not haue a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he beholde the good, that I will doe for my people, sayth the Lorde, because he hath spoken rebelliously against the Lorde.