Jeremias sender breve til de bortførte judæere i Babylon
1-2Nogen tid efter at kong Jekonja sammen med enkedronningen, hoffolkene, embedsmændene og håndværkerne var blevet deporteret fra Jerusalem til Babylon af Nebukadnezar, skrev jeg i Jerusalem et brev til lederne, præsterne, profeterne og de øvrige bortførte judæere. 3Brevet blev overbragt af Elasa, Shafans søn, og Gemarja, Hilkijas søn, da de drog af sted til Nebukadnezar i Babylon som kong Zidkijas udsendinge. I brevet stod der:
4Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud, sender følgende budskab til alle de fanger, han har sendt i eksil fra Jerusalem til Babylonien:
5Indstil jer på at blive i Babylonien. Byg huse, plant vingårde og dyrk jeres marker, så I kan leve af det, I høster. 6Gift jer og få børn. Lad jeres sønner og døtre gifte sig, så de kan få børn og befolkningen vokse. 7Arbejd for, at den by, I nu bor i, får fremgang, og bed Herren om at velsigne den, for når det går godt for den, går det også godt for jer.
8Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud, siger: Lad jer ikke narre af de profeter og åndemanere, der findes iblandt jer. Lyt ikke til deres drømme, 9for de profeterer løgn i mit navn. Jeg har ikke talt til dem, siger Herren. 10Sandheden er, at I skal blive i Babylonien i 70 år. Men derefter vil jeg opfylde mit løfte og føre jer hjem til jeres eget land. 11For jeg ved, hvilke planer jeg har for jer, siger Herren, planer om fred og ikke om ulykke, planer om fremtid og håb. 12Når I beder til mig om hjælp, vil jeg høre jer, 13når I søger efter mig, vil I finde mig. Ja, hvis I søger mig af hele jeres hjerte, vil I finde mig. 14Jeg vender jeres skæbne, sætter jer fri og giver jer fremgang. Jeg samler jer fra de lande, jeg fordrev jer til, og fører jer hjem til jeres eget land.
15Lad være med at tro på de profeter, I har hos jer i det fremmede. De lover jer en hurtig frihed, 16men hør, hvad Herren siger angående kongen, der sidder på Davids trone, og alle dem, som stadig bor her i Jerusalem, og jeres slægtninge, som ikke blev bortført til Babylonien: 17„Jeg sender krig, hungersnød og sygdom over dem, der bor i Jerusalem, så de bliver som uspiselige, rådne figner. 18Ja, jeg vil straffe dem med krig, hungersnød og sygdom og sprede dem ud over hele jorden, så de bliver eksempler til skræk og advarsel for folkene i de lande, jeg fordriver dem til. Overalt vil de blive forbandet og hånet, 19fordi de nægtede at lytte til mig, skønt jeg gang på gang talte til dem gennem mine profeter. 20Derfor bør I høre efter og adlyde Herrens ord, alle I, som er i fangenskab i Babylonien.”
21Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud, har også noget at sige om Ahab, søn af Kolaja, og Zidkija, søn af Ma’aseja, der begge profeterer løgne og påstår, at de taler på mine vegne: „Jeg udleverer dem til Nebukadnezar, så han kan henrette dem offentligt. 22Når man i fremtiden vil forbande nogen, vil man mindes deres grufulde skæbne og sige: ‚Må Herren gøre ved dig, som Babylons konge gjorde ved Zidkija og Ahab, da han brændte dem levende.’ 23De to mænd har gjort frygtelige ting iblandt mit folk. De begik ægteskabsbrud med andres koner, og de har profeteret ting, som jeg aldrig har sagt. Jeg har set alt, hvad de har gjort,” siger Herren.
24Senere sendte jeg et brev med et budskab til Shemaja fra Nehelam: 25Herren den Almægtige, Israels Gud, siger: Du skrev et brev til præsten Zefanja, søn af Ma’aseja, og sendte kopier til de øvrige præster og ledere i Jerusalem. 26I brevet til Zefanja skrev du: „Herren udpegede dig til at overtage posten som præst i Jerusalem i stedet for Jojada. Det er altså dit ansvar at arrestere enhver tåbe, der hævder at være profet, og sætte ham i gabestok og halsjern. 27Hvorfor har du så ikke gjort noget for at standse Jeremias fra Anatot, som giver sig ud for at være profet hos jer? 28Han skrev til os her i Babylonien, at vi skulle indstille os på at blive her i lang tid, at vi skulle bygge huse og dyrker markerne, så vi kunne leve af det, vi høstede.”
29Da Zefanja modtog dit brev, bragte han det til mig og læste det for mig. 30Da sagde Herren til mig: 31Send et åbent brev af sted til dem, som er i eksil i Babylonien med følgende budskab: „Fordi Shemaja har profeteret for jer, uden at jeg har talt til ham, og narret jer til at tro på sine løgne, 32vil jeg straffe ham og hans familie. Hans slægt vil snart uddø, så ingen af dem kommer til at opleve den velsignelse, der venter mit folk, for han har gjort oprør mod Herren.”
A letter to the exiles
1This is the text of the letter 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. 2(This was after King Jehoiachin29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the craftsmen had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3He 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:
4This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry 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. 7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’ 8Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.
10This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.29:14 Or will restore your fortunes 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.’
15You may say, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ 16but 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 – 17yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed. and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19For they have not listened to my words,’ declares the Lord, ‘words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,’ declares the Lord.
20Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies 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. 22Because 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 burned in the fire.” 23For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies – which I did not authorise. I know it and am a witness to it,’ declares the Lord.
Message to Shemaiah
24Tell 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 Zephaniah 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 maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons. 27So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28He has sent this message to us in Babylon: it will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” ’
29Zephaniah the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31‘Send this message to all the exiles: “This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no-one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion against me.” ’
