Jeremiah 29

Letter to the Exiles

¹Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

²(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, 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). It said:

⁴The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

⁵“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.

⁶Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished.

⁷Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”

⁸For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

⁹For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD.

¹⁰For the LORD says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

¹²You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

¹³You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

¹⁴I will be found by you,” says the LORD, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you,” says the LORD. “I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”

¹⁵Because you have said, “The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon,”

¹⁶the LORD says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone with you into captivity,

¹⁷the LORD of Armies says: “Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can’t be eaten, they are so bad.

¹⁸I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

¹⁹because they have not listened to my words,” says the LORD, “with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear,” says the LORD.

²⁰Hear therefore the LORD’s word, all you captives whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

²¹The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: “Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he will kill them before your eyes.

²²A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘The LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;’

²³because they have done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them. I am he who knows, and am witness,” says the LORD.

Shemaiah's Opposition

²⁴Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

²⁵“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

²⁶“The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the LORD’s house, for every man who is crazy and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

²⁷Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

²⁸because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long. Build houses, and dwell in them. Plant gardens, and eat their fruit?”’”

²⁹Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

³⁰Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,

³¹“Send to all of the captives, saying, ‘The LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn’t send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie,”

³²therefore the LORD says, “Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. He will not have a man to dwell among this people. He won’t see the good that I will do to my people,” says the LORD, “because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.”’”

Previous Jeremiah 28

Next Jeremiah 30

Jeremiah sends a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, instructing them to settle down and build lives there while awaiting God's promised restoration after seventy years. The prophet delivers God's famous promise that He knows the plans He has for them—plans for welfare and hope, not disaster. The chapter concludes with God's judgment against false prophets like Shemaiah who oppose Jeremiah's message and mislead the people with lies about an early return.

Context

This chapter follows Jeremiah's symbolic acts and oracles about Babylon's dominance, providing practical guidance for the exile period that will dominate the remaining chapters.

Key Themes

Outline

1-3
Letter's Introduction Jeremiah sends a letter via royal messengers to the Jewish exiles in Babylon.
4-7
Instructions for Exile God commands the exiles to build houses, plant gardens, marry, and seek the welfare of Babylon.
8-14
Promise of Restoration God warns against false prophets and promises return after seventy years, declaring His plans for hope and future.
15-23
Judgment on Remaining Jews God pronounces judgment on those still in Jerusalem and condemns false prophets in Babylon.
24-32
Shemaiah's Opposition The false prophet Shemaiah opposes Jeremiah's message and faces divine judgment for his rebellion.

Letter to the Exiles

29:1–29:23

epistle instruction hopeful

Jeremiah writes to the Babylonian exiles instructing them to settle, build, and seek the welfare of their new city while rejecting false prophets. He promises God's eventual restoration after seventy years and assures them of God's good plans for their future.

person_contrast

Jeremiah, who delivers judgment in 58 of his 61 biblical appearances, uniquely offers hope and practical guidance here, instructing exiles to "seek the peace of the city.

Shemaiah's Opposition

29:24–29:32

prophecy wrathful

God condemns Shemaiah the Nehelamite for falsely prophesying against Jeremiah and opposing God's message about the Babylonian exile. Divine judgment is pronounced against Shemaiah and his descendants for speaking rebellion against the Lord.

person_contrast

Shemaiah's unauthorized letter-writing campaign against Jeremiah represents the only instance where a false prophet attempts to manipulate temple authorities through correspondence to silence God's true messenger.

Insight Character Study

Jeremiah, who delivers judgment in 58 of his 61 biblical appearances, uniquely offers hope and practical guidance here, instructing exiles to "seek the peace of the city.

Insight Character Study