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The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 29
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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;
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(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;)
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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,
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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;
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5 |
Build ye houses, and dwell in them;
and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
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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.
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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.
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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.
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9 |
For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent
them, saith the LORD.
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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.
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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.
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12 |
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me,
and I will hearken unto you.
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13 |
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me
with all your heart.
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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.
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Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in
Babylon;
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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;
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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.
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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:
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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.
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20 |
Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity,
whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
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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;
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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;
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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.
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Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,
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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,
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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.
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Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth,
which maketh himself a prophet to you?
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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.
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29 |
And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of
Jeremiah the prophet.
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30 |
Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
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31 |
Sendto 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:
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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.
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