1Now these [are] the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders who 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 Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, had departed from Jerusalem;) 3By 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) saying, 4Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon; 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 seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray to the LORD for it: for in the peace of it ye shall have 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 seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me 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 have said, The LORD hath raised up for us prophets in Babylon; 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: 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 bad. 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 horror, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them: 19Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, rising early and sending [them]; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD. 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 concerning them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah who [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 neighbour's 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. 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 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. 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 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.