Yaram'Yahu (Jeremiah) — 29

A Letter to the Exiles

1 Yaramyahu wrote a letter from Yahushalam to the elders, Kuhanym, Nabyms, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylun by King Nabuchadnazzar. 

2 This was after King Yahuiachin, the queen mother, the court officials, the other officials of Yahudah, and all the craftsmen and artisans had been deported from Yahushalam. 

3 He sent the letter with Alasah son of Shaphan and Gamaryahu son of Hilkyahu when they went to Babylun as King Zadakyahu’s ambassadors to Nabuchadnazzar, this is what Yaramyahu’s letter said:

4 This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL Dabar to all the captives he has exiled to Babylun from Yahushalam: 

5 “Build homes, and plan to stay, plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 

6 Marry and have children, then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren, Multiply! do not dwindle away! 

7 And work for the Shalum and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile, Pray to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

8 This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL Dabar: “do not let your Nabyms and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylun trick you, do not listen to their dreams, 

9 because they are telling you lies in my Name, I have not sent them,” says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.

10 This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar: “You will be in Babylun for seventy years, But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 

12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 

13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 

14 I will be found by you, says  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes, I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

15 You claim that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has raised up Nabyms for you in Babylun. 

16 But this is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar  about the king who sits on Daud’s throne and all those still living here in Yahushalam, your relatives who were not exiled to Babylun. 

17 This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  Tsaba'ut Dabar: “I will send war, famine, and disease upon them and make them like bad figs, too rotten to eat. 

18 Yes, I will pursue them with war, famine, and disease, and I will scatter them around the world, In every nation where I send them, I will make them an object of damnation, horror, contempt, and mockery. 

19 For they refuse to listen to me, though I have spoken to them repeatedly through the Nabyms I sent, and you who are in exile have not listened either,” says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.

20 Therefore, listen to this message from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, all you captives there in Babylun. 

21 This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL Dabar about your Nabym, Ahab son of Kulayahu and Zadakyahu son of Maasayahu, who are telling you lies in my Name: “I will turn them over to Nabuchadnazzar for execution before your eyes. 

22 Their terrible fate will become proverbial, so that the Yahudym exiles will curse someone by saying, ‘May 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH make you like Zadakyahu and Ahab, whom the king of Babylun burned alive!’ 

23 For these men have done terrible things among my people, they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have lied in my Name, saying things I did not command, I am a witness to this, I 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH have spoken.”

A Message for Shamayahu

24 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH sent this message to Shamayahu the Nahalamite in Babylun: 

25 “This is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL Dabar, You wrote a letter on your own authority to Zaphanyahu son of Maasayahu, the Kuhan, and you sent copies to the other Kuhanym and people in Yahushalam, You wrote to Zaphanyahu,

26 “That 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has appointed you to replace Yahuiada as the Kuhan in charge of the house of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, You are responsible to put into stocks and neck irons any crazy man who claims to be a Nabym. 

27 So why have you done nothing to stop Yaramyahu from Anathuth, who pretends to be a Nabym among you? 

28 Yaramyahu sent a letter here to Babylun, predicting that our captivity will be a long one, he said, ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.’”

29 But when Zaphanyahu the Kuhan received Shamayahu’s letter, he took it to Yaramyahu and read it to him. 

30 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH gave this message to Yaramyahu: 

31 “Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylun, Tell them, ‘This is what  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar concerning Shamayahu the Nahalamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies, 

32 I will punish him and his family, None of his descendants will see the good things I will do for my people, for he has incited you to rebel against me, I 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH have spoken!’”