A Letter to the Exiles

29 This is the text of the letterz that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.a 2 (This was after King Jehoiachina b and the queen mother,c the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carriedd into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Builde houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.f 7 Also, seekg the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Prayh to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophetsi and diviners among you deceivej you. Do not listen to the dreamsk you encourage them to have.l 9 They are prophesying liesm to you in my name. I have not sentn them,” declares the Lord.

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy yearso are completed for Babylon, I will come to youp and fulfill my good promiseq to bring you backr to this place. 11 For I know the planss I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prospert you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.u 12 Then you will callv on me and come and prayw to me, and I will listenx to you. 13 You will seeky me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.z 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you backa from captivity.b I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”b

15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16 but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile—17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plaguec against them and I will make them like figsd that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrente to all the kingdoms of the earth, a cursec f and an object of horror,g of scornh and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,”i declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and againj by my servants the prophets.k And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sentl away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying liesm to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burnedn in the fire.’ 23 For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adulteryo with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I knowp it and am a witnessq to it,” declares the Lord.

Message to Shemaiah

24 Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniahr son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniacs who acts like a prophet into the stockst and neck-irons. 27 So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28 He has sent this messageu to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.v Therefore buildw houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’ ”

29 Zephaniahx the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiahy the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not sendz him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32 this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.a He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the goodb things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellionc against me.’ ”

Restoration of Israel

30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Writed in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The dayse are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bringf my people Israel and Judah back from captivitya and restoreg them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘Cries of fearh are heard—

terror, not peace.

6 Ask and see:

Can a man bear children?

Then why do I see every strong man

with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,i

every face turned deathly pale?j

7 How awful that dayk will be!

No other will be like it.

It will be a time of troublel for Jacob,

but he will be savedm out of it.

8 “ ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,

‘I will break the yoken off their necks

and will tear off their bonds;o

no longer will foreigners enslave them.p

9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God

and Davidq their king,r

whom I will raise up for them.

10 “ ‘So do not be afraid,s Jacob my servant;t

do not be dismayed, Israel,’

declares the Lord.

‘I will surely saveu you out of a distant place,

your descendants from the land of their exile.

Jacob will again have peace and security,v

and no one will make him afraid.w

11 I am with youx and will save you,’

declares the Lord.

‘Though I completely destroy all the nations

among which I scatter you,

I will not completely destroyy you.

I will disciplinez you but only in due measure;

I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’a

12 “This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘Your woundb is incurable,

your injury beyond healing.c

13 There is no one to plead your cause,d

no remedy for your sore,

no healinge for you.

14 All your alliesf have forgotten you;

they care nothing for you.

I have struck you as an enemyg would

and punished you as would the cruel,h

because your guilt is so great

and your sinsi so many.

15 Why do you cry out over your wound,

your pain that has no cure?j

Because of your great guilt and many sins

I have done these things to you.k

16 “ ‘But all who devourl you will be devoured;

all your enemies will go into exile.m

Those who plundern you will be plundered;

all who make spoil of you I will despoil.

17 But I will restore you to health

and healo your wounds,’

declares the Lord,

‘because you are called an outcast,p

Zion for whom no one cares.’q

18 “This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘I will restore the fortunesr of Jacob’s tentss

and have compassiont on his dwellings;

the city will be rebuiltu on her ruins,

and the palace will stand in its proper place.

19 From them will come songsv of thanksgivingw

and the sound of rejoicing.x

I will add to their numbers,y

and they will not be decreased;

I will bring them honor,z

and they will not be disdained.

20 Their childrena will be as in days of old,

and their community will be establishedb before me;

I will punishc all who oppress them.

21 Their leaderd will be one of their own;

their ruler will arise from among them.e

I will bring him nearf and he will come close to me—

for who is he who will devote himself

to be close to me?’

declares the Lord.

22 “ ‘So you will be my people,g

and I will be your God.h’ ”

23 See, the stormi of the Lord

will burst out in wrath,

a driving wind swirling down

on the heads of the wicked.

24 The fierce angerj of the Lord will not turn backk

until he fully accomplishes

the purposes of his heart.

In days to come

you will understandl this.

31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the Godm of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

2 This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword

will find favorn in the wilderness;

I will come to give resto to Israel.”

3 The Lord appeared to us in the past,a saying:

“I have lovedp you with an everlasting love;

I have drawnq you with unfailing kindness.

4 I will build you up again,

and you, Virginr Israel, will be rebuilt.s

Again you will take up your timbrelst

and go out to danceu with the joyful.v

5 Again you will plantw vineyards

on the hills of Samaria;x

the farmers will plant them

and enjoy their fruit.y

6 There will be a day when watchmenz cry out

on the hills of Ephraim,

‘Come, let us go up to Zion,

to the Lord our God.’ ”a

7 This is what the Lord says:

“Singb with joy for Jacob;

shout for the foremostc of the nations.

Make your praises heard, and say,

‘Lord, saved your people,

the remnante of Israel.’

8 See, I will bring them from the land of the northf

and gatherg them from the ends of the earth.

Among them will be the blindh and the lame,i

expectant mothers and women in labor;

a great throng will return.

9 They will come with weeping;j

they will pray as I bring them back.

I will leadk them beside streams of waterl

on a levelm path where they will not stumble,

because I am Israel’s father,n

and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;

proclaim it in distant coastlands:o

‘He who scatteredp Israel will gatherq them

and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’r

11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob

and redeems them from the hand of those strongert than they.

12 They will come and shout for joyu on the heightsv of Zion;

they will rejoice in the bountyw of the Lord—

the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,x

the young of the flocksy and herds.

They will be like a well-watered garden,z

and they will sorrowa no more.

13 Then young women will dance and be glad,

young men and old as well.

I will turn their mourningb into gladness;

I will give them comfortc and joyd instead of sorrow.

14 I will satisfye the priestsf with abundance,

and my people will be filled with my bounty,g”

declares the Lord.

15 This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,h

mourning and great weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,i

because they are no more.”j

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping

and your eyes from tears,k

for your work will be rewarded,l”

declares the Lord.

“They will returnm from the land of the enemy.

17 So there is hopen for your descendants,”

declares the Lord.

“Your childreno will return to their own land.

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:

‘You disciplinedp me like an unruly calf,q

and I have been disciplined.

Restorer me, and I will return,

because you are the Lord my God.

19 After I strayed,s

I repented;

after I came to understand,

I beatt my breast.

I was ashamedu and humiliated

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’v

20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,

the childw in whom I delight?

Though I often speak against him,

I still rememberx him.

Therefore my heart yearns for him;

I have great compassiony for him,”

declares the Lord.

21 “Set up road signs;

put up guideposts.z

Take note of the highway,a

the road that you take.

Return,b Virginc Israel,

return to your towns.

22 How long will you wander,d

unfaithfule Daughter Israel?

The Lord will create a new thingf on earth—

the woman will return tob g the man.”

23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,c h the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord blessi you, you prosperous city,j you sacred mountain.’k 24 People will livel together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.m 25 I will refresh the wearyn and satisfy the faint.”o

26 At this I awokep and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

27 “The days are coming,”q declares the Lord, “when I will plantr the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watcheds over them to uproott and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,u so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”v declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parentsw have eaten sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’x

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;y whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when I will make a new covenantz

with the people of Israel

and with the people of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenanta

I made with their ancestorsb

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,c

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husbandd tod them,e”

declares the Lord.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel

after that time,” declares the Lord.

“I will put my law in their mindse

and write it on their hearts.f

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.g

34 No longer will they teachh their neighbor,

or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’

because they will all knowi me,

from the least of them to the greatest,”

declares the Lord.

“For I will forgivej their wickedness

and will remember their sinsk no more.”

35 This is what the Lord says,

he who appointsl the sun

to shine by day,

who decrees the moon and stars

to shine by night,m

who stirs up the sean

so that its waves roaro—

the Lord Almighty is his name:p

36 “Only if these decreesq vanish from my sight,”

declares the Lord,

“will Israelr ever cease

being a nation before me.”

37 This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measureds

and the foundations of the earth below be searched out

will I rejectt all the descendants of Israel

because of all they have done,”

declares the Lord.

38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuiltu for me from the Tower of Hananelv to the Corner Gate.w 39 The measuring linex will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valleyy where dead bodiesz and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valleya on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,b will be holyc to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Jeremiah Buys a Field

32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenthd year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenthe year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besiegingf Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confinedg in the courtyard of the guardh in the royal palace of Judah.

3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesyi as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capturej it. 4 Zedekiahk king of Judah will not escapel the Babyloniansa m but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5 He will taken Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,o declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ”p

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,q because as nearest relative it is your right and dutyr to buy it.’

8 “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my fields at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9 so I bought the fieldt at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekelsb of silver.u 10 I signed and sealed the deed,v had it witnessed,w and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy—12 and I gave this deed to Baruchx son of Neriah,y the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealedz and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’a

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruchb son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,c you have made the heavens and the earthd by your great power and outstretched arm.e Nothing is too hardf for you. 18 You show loveg to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the lapsh of their childreni after them. Great and mighty God,j whose name is the Lord Almighty,k 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.l Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;m you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.n 20 You performed signs and wonderso in Egyptp and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renownq that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty handr and an outstretched arms and with great terror.t 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.u 23 They came in and took possessionv of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;w they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disasterx on them.

24 “See how the siege rampsy are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague,z the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you saida has happened,b as you now see. 25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the fieldc with silver and have the transaction witnessed.d’ ”

26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.e Is anything too hard for me?f 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzarg king of Babylon, who will capture it.h 29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down,i along with the housesj where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offeringsk to other gods.l

30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth;m indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my angern with what their hands have made,o declares the Lord. 31 From the day it was built until now, this cityp has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must removeq it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have provokedr me by all the evils they have done—they, their kings and officials,t their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backsu to me and not their faces; though I taughtv them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.w 34 They set up their vile imagesx in the house that bears my Namey and defiledz it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnoma to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,b though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mindc—that they should do such a detestabled thing and so make Judah sin.e

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plaguef it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gatherg them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious angerh and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.i 38 They will be my people,j and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singlenessk of heart and action, so that they will always fearl me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenantm with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspiren them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.o 41 I will rejoicep in doing them goodq and will assuredly plantr them in this land with all my heart and soul.s

42 “This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamityt on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promisedu them. 43 Once more fields will be boughtv in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolatew waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44 Fields will be bought for silver, and deedsx will be signed, sealed and witnessedy in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,z because I will restorea their fortunes,c declares the Lord.”

Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confinedb in the courtyardc of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:d 2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,e the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:f 3 ‘Callg to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchableh things you do not know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siegei rampsj and the sword 5 in the fight with the Babyloniansa: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.k I will hide my facel from this city because of all its wickedness.

6 “ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will healm my people and will let them enjoy abundant peacen and security. 7 I will bring Judaho and Israel back from captivityb p and will rebuildq them as they were before.r 8 I will cleanses them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgivet all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown,u joy, praisev and honorw before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremblex at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”y Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,z inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11 the sounds of joy and gladness,a the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offeringsb to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,

for the Lord is good;c

his love endures forever.”d

For I will restore the fortunese of the land as they were before,f’ says the Lord.

12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolateg and without people or animalsh—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.i 13 In the towns of the hillj country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,k in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the handl of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 “ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promisem I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

15 “ ‘In those days and at that time

I will make a righteousn Brancho sprout from David’s line;p

he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be savedq

and Jerusalem will live in safety.r

This is the name by which itc will be called:s

The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’t

17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never failu to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18 nor will the Leviticalv priestsw ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.x’ ”

19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the dayy and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,z 21 then my covenanta with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levitesb who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.c 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countlessd as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ ”

23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdomsd e he chose’? So they despisef my people and no longer regard them as a nation.g 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and nighth and established the lawsi of heaven and earth,j 26 then I will rejectk the descendants of Jacobl and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunese m and have compassionn on them.’ ”