Jeremiah 29 – NIV & CCBT

New International Version

Jeremiah 29:1-32

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 artisans 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 fulfill 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 neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. 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.’ ”

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

耶利米書 29:1-32

致信給被擄的人

1-2耶哥尼雅王、太后、宮廷侍臣、猶大耶路撒冷的官員、技工和工匠被尼布甲尼撒王擄到巴比倫後,耶利米先知從耶路撒冷寄信給被擄之人中倖存的長老、先知和眾民。 3猶大西底迦沙番的兒子以利亞薩希勒迦的兒子基瑪利把這封信送給巴比倫尼布甲尼撒。以下是信的內容:

4以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華對所有從耶路撒冷被擄到巴比倫的人說: 5「你們要建造房子住下來,要耕種田園,吃田中的出產。 6你們要娶妻生子,也要給你們的兒女娶妻選夫,使他們生兒育女,你們好在那裡人丁興旺,不致人口減少。 7你們要為所住的城市謀求福祉,向耶和華禱告,因為你們的福祉有賴於那城的福祉。」 8以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說:「不要被你們中間的先知和占卜者欺騙,不要聽信他們做的夢。 9他們以我的名義對你們說假預言,其實我並沒有差遣他們。這是耶和華說的。」

10耶和華說:「你們被擄到巴比倫七十年期滿後,我就要眷顧你們,成就我充滿恩典的應許,把你們帶回這地方。 11因為我知道我為你們安排的計劃。我的計劃不是要降禍給你們,而是要賜福給你們,使你們的未來充滿希望。這是耶和華說的。 12那時,你們必呼求我,向我禱告,我也必垂聽。 13你們尋求我,就必尋見。只要你們全心尋求我, 14我必讓你們尋見。這是耶和華說的。我必把你們從流放之地招聚起來,使你們回到故土。這是耶和華說的。

15「你們說耶和華在巴比倫為你們選立了先知, 16但論到坐在大衛寶座上的君王和這城裡的百姓,就是沒有與你們一同被擄的同胞, 17萬軍之耶和華這樣說,『看啊,我必使戰爭、饑荒和瘟疫臨到他們,使他們像爛得不能吃的無花果。 18我要使他們飽受戰爭、饑荒和瘟疫之災,使他們的遭遇令天下萬國驚懼。在我流放他們去的地方,他們必受凌辱、嘲笑、譏諷和咒詛。 19這都是因為他們不聽我的話。這是耶和華說的。我曾屢次差遣我的僕人——眾先知去警告他們,他們卻不肯聽。』這是耶和華說的。 20因此,你們這些從耶路撒冷被擄到巴比倫的人啊!要聽耶和華的話。 21以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說:『哥賴雅的兒子亞哈瑪西雅的兒子西底迦以我的名義說假預言,我要把他們交在巴比倫尼布甲尼撒的手中,讓他當著你們的面處死他們。 22被擄到巴比倫猶大人咒詛人的時候會說,「願耶和華使你的下場像被巴比倫王燒死的西底迦亞哈一樣!」 23因為他們二人在以色列做了惡事,與他人的妻子通姦。我沒有差派他們,他們卻奉我的名說假預言。我知道他們的所作所為,我對這一切瞭若指掌。』這是耶和華說的。」

24耶和華吩咐我對尼希蘭示瑪雅說: 25以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說,你曾以自己的名義寫信給住在耶路撒冷的眾民、瑪西雅的兒子西番雅祭司及其他祭司。你在信中對西番雅說, 26『耶和華已立你為祭司代替耶何耶大,管理耶和華的殿,負責拘捕妄自發預言的狂人,給他們戴上鐵鏈枷鎖。 27現在,亞拿突耶利米在你們當中自稱為先知,你為什麼不斥責他呢? 28他甚至寄信給我們這些在巴比倫的人,說被擄的日子還很長久,要我們建房子住下來,耕種田園,吃田中的出產。』」

29西番雅祭司就把示瑪雅的信讀給耶利米先知聽。 30耶和華對耶利米說: 31「你派人送信給所有被擄的人,說,『耶和華說祂沒有差遣尼希蘭示瑪雅,他卻說預言,誘使你們聽信謊言, 32所以耶和華必懲罰他和他的後代,使他斷子絕孫,看不到耶和華賜給祂子民的福祉,因為他說了悖逆耶和華的話。這是耶和華說的。』」