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.” ’
Kalata Yolembera Anthu a ku Ukapolo
1Yeremiya anatumiza kalata kuchokera ku Yerusalemu kupita kwa akuluakulu amene anali ku ukapolo, ndiponso kwa ansembe, aneneri pamodzi ndi anthu onse amene Nebukadinezara anawatenga ku Yerusalemu kupita nawo ku ukapolo ku Babuloni. 2Zimenezi zinachitika mfumu Yekoniya, amayi a mfumu, nduna za mfumu ndiponso atsogoleri a ku Yuda ndi a ku Yerusalemu, anthu aluso ndi amisiri atatengedwa ku Yerusalemu kupita ku ukapolo. 3Yeremiya anapatsira kalatayo Eleasa mwana wa Safani ndi Gemariya mwana wa Hilikiya, amene Zedekiya mfumu ya Yuda anawatumiza kwa Mfumu Nebukadinezara ku Babuloni. Mʼkalatamo analembamo kuti:
4Anthu onse amene anatengedwa ukapolo kuchokera ku Yerusalemu kupita ku Babuloni, Yehova akuwawuza kuti, 5“Mangani nyumba ndipo muzikhalamo. Limani minda ndipo mudye zipatso zake. 6Kwatirani ndipo mubereke ana aamuna ndi aakazi. Ana anu aamuna muwasankhire akazi ndipo muwasankhire amuna ana anu aakaziwo, kuti nawonso abale ana aamuna ndi aakazi. Muchulukane kumeneko. Chiwerengero chanu chisachepe. 7Ndiponso muzifunafuna mtendere ndi ubwino wa mzinda umene ndinakupirikitsirani ku ukapoloko. Muzipempherera mzindawo kwa Yehova, kuti zikuyendereni bwino.” 8Inde, Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akunena kuti, “Musalole kuti aneneri ndi owombeza amene ali pakati panu akunyengeni. Musamvere maloto awo. 9Iwo akunenera zabodza kwa inu mʼdzina langa ngakhale Ine sindinawatume,” akutero Yehova.
10Yehova akuti, “Zaka 70 za ku Babuloni zikadzatha, ndidzabwera kudzakuchitirani zabwino zonse zimene ndinakulonjezani zija, ndipo ndidzakubwezerani ku malo ano. 11Pakuti Ine ndikudziwa zimene ndinakukonzerani,” akutero Yehova, “ndimalingalira zabwino zokhazokha za inu osati zoyipa, ayi. Ndimalingalira zinthu zokupatsani chiyembekezo chenicheni pa za mʼtsogolo. 12Nthawi imeneyo mudzandiyitana, ndi kunditama mopemba ndipo ndidzakumverani. 13Mudzandifunafuna ndipo mudzandipeza. Mukadzandifuna ndi mtima wanu wonse 14mudzandipezadi,” akutero Yehova, “ndipo ndidzakubwezerani zabwino zanu. Ndidzakusonkhanitsani kuchokera ku mayiko onse ndi kumalo konse kumene munali,” akutero Yehova, “ndipo ndidzakubweretsani kumalo kumene munali ndisanakuchotseni kukupititsani ku ukapolo.”
15Inu mumati, “Yehova watiwutsira aneneri athu ku Babuloni,” 16koma zimene Yehova akunena za mfumu imene ikukhala pa mpando waufumu wa Davide pamodzi ndi anthu onse amene anatsala mu mzinda muno, abale anu amene sanapite nanu ku ukapolo ndi izi, 17Yehova Wamphamvuzonse akuti, “Ndidzawapha ndi nkhondo, njala ndi mliri ndipo ndidzawasandutsa ngati nkhuyu zowola kwambiri, zosati nʼkudya. 18Ndidzawalondola ndi lupanga, njala ndi mliri ndipo ndidzawasandutsa chinthu chonyansa kwa anthu amayiko onse a pa dziko lapansi. Adzakhala otembereredwa, ochititsa mantha, onyozeka ndiponso ochitidwa chipongwe pakati pa anthu a mitundu yonse kumene ndawapirikitsirako. 19Zidzatero chifukwa sanamvere mawu anga amene ndinkawatumizira kudzera mwa atumiki anga, aneneri. Ngakhale inu amene muli ku ukapolo simunamverenso,” akutero Yehova.
20Choncho, imvani mawu a Yehova, inu akapolo nonse amene ndinakuchotsani mu Yerusalemu ndi kukupititsani ku Babuloni. 21Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti zokhudza Ahabu mwana wa Kolaya ndi Zedekiya mwana wa Maseya, amene akulosera zabodza kwa inu mʼdzina langa: “Taonani ndidzawapereka kwa Nebukadinezara mfumu ya ku Babuloni, ndipo adzawapha inu mukupenya. 22Chifukwa cha anthu awiriwo, akapolo onse ochokera ku Yuda amene ali ku Babuloni adzagwiritsa ntchito mawu awa potemberera: ‘Yehova achite nawe monga mmene anachitira ndi Zedekiya ndi Ahabu, amene mfumu ya ku Babuloni inawatentha.’ 23Pakuti anthu amenewa achita zoyipa kwambiri mu Israeli; achita chigololo ndi akazi a eni ake ndipo mʼdzina langa ankayankhula zabodza zimene sindinawawuze kuti atero. Ine ndikuzidziwa ndipo ndine mboni ya zimenezi,” akutero Yehova.
Kalata ya Semaya
24Ukamuwuze Semaya wa ku Nehelamu kuti, 25“Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti: Iwe unatumiza kalata mʼdzina lako kwa anthu onse a mu Yerusalemu, kwa Zefaniya mwana wa wansembe Maseya, ndi kwa ansembe onse. Unalemba mu kalatayo kuti, 26‘Yehova wakusankha kukhala wansembe mʼmalo mwa Yehoyada kuti ukhale wamkulu woyangʼanira Nyumba ya Yehova. Munthu aliyense wamisala amene akudziyesa kuti ndi mneneri uzimuponya mʼndende ndi kumuveka goli lachitsulo. 27Nanga tsono chifukwa chiyani simunamuchitire zimenezi Yeremiya wa ku Anatoti, amene amakhala ngati mneneri pakati panu? 28Yeremiyayo watitumizira uthenga uwu kuno ku Babuloni: Ukapolo wanu ukhala wa nthawi yayitali. Choncho mangani nyumba ndipo muzikhalamo; limani minda ndipo mudye zipatso zake.’ ”
29Koma wansembe Zefaniya anayiwerenga kalatayo pamaso pa mneneri Yeremiya. 30Ndipo Yehova anawuza Yeremiya kuti, 31“Tumiza uthenga uwu kwa akapolo onse: ‘Yehova akuti zokhudza Semaya wa ku Nehelamu: Semaya wakuloserani, ngakhale kuti Ine sindinamutume, ndipo wakunyengani kuti muzikhulupirira bodza. 32Nʼchifukwa chake Ine Yehova ndikuti: Mʼbanja lakelo sipadzakhala munthu pakati pa mtundu uno wa anthu amene adzaone zinthu zabwino zimene ndidzachitira anthu anga chifukwa analalika zondiwukira,’ ” akutero Yehova.
