Jeremiah 29

ve'elleh divre hassefer asher shalakh yirmeyah hannavi mirushalai͏m el-yeter ziqne haggolah ve'el-hakkohanim ve'el-hannevi'im ve'el-kol-ha'am asher heglah nevukhadnetsar mirushalai͏m bavelah

This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the priests, the prophets, the rest of the elders of the exile community, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon—

akhare tset yekhonyah-hammelekh vehaggevirah vehassarisim sare yehudah virushalai͏m vehekharash vehammasger mirushalai͏m

after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artisans and smiths had left Jerusalem.

beyad elasah ven-shafan ugemaryah ben-khilqiyyah asher shalakh tsidqiyyah melekh-yehudah el-nevukhadnetsar melekh bavel bavelah lemor

[The letter was sent] through Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had dispatched to Babylon, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

koh amar Adonai tseva'ot elohe yisra'el lekhol-haggolah asher-higleti mirushalai͏m bavelah

Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to the whole community that I exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon:

benu vattim veshevu venitu gannot ve'ikhlu et-piryan

Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit.

qekhu nashim veholidu banim uvanot uqekhu livnekhem nashim ve'et-benotekhem tenu la'anashim veteladnah banim uvanot urevu-sham ve'al-timatu

You should take wives and beget sons and daughters; and you should take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, do not decrease.

vedirshu et-shelom ha'ir asher higleti etkhem shammah vehitpallu va'adah el-Adonai ki vishlomah yihyeh lakhem shalom

And seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to GOD in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.

ki khoh amar Adonai tseva'ot elohe yisra'el al-yashi'u lakhem nevi'ekhem asher-beqirbekhem veqosemekhem ve'al-tishme'u el-khalomotekhem asher attem makhlemim

For thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Let not the prophets and diviners in your midst deceive you, and pay no heed to the dreams they dream.

ki vesheqer hem nibbe'im lakhem bishmi lo shelakhtim ne'um-Adonai

For they prophesy to you in My name falsely; I did not send them—declares GOD.

ki-khoh amar Adonai ki lefi melot levavel shivim shanah efqod etkhem vahaqimoti alekhem et-devari hattov lehashiv etkhem el-hammaqom hazzeh

For thus said GOD: When Babylon’s seventy years are over, I will take note of you, and I will fulfill to you My promise of favor—to bring you back to this place.

ki anokhi yadati et-hammakhashavot asher anokhi khoshev alekhem ne'um-Adonai makhshevot shalom velo lera'ah latet lakhem akharit vetiqvah

For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you—declares GOD—plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future.

uqeratem oti vahalakhtem vehitpallaltem elay veshamati alekhem

When you call Me, and come and pray to Me, I will give heed to you.

uviqqashtem oti umetsatem ki tidreshuni bekhol-levavkhem

You will search for Me and find Me, if only you seek Me wholeheartedly.

venimtseti lakhem ne'um-Adonai veshavti et-[shevutekhem] (shvytkhm) veqibbatsti etkhem mikkol-haggoyim umikkol-hammeqomot asher hiddakhti etkhem sham ne'um-Adonai vahashivoti etkhem el-hammaqom asher-higleti etkhem misham

I will be at hand for you—declares GOD—and I will restore your fortunes. And I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have banished you—declares GOD—and I will bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you.

ki amartem heqim lanu Adonai nevi'im bavelah

But you say, “GOD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.”

ki-khoh amar Adonai el-hammelekh hayyoshev el-kisse david ve'el-kol-ha'am hayyoshev ba'ir hazzot akhekhem asher lo-yatse'u ittekhem baggolah

Thus said GOD concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsfolk who did not go out with you into exile—

koh amar Adonai tseva'ot hinni meshalleakh bam et-hakherev et-hara'av ve'et-haddaver venatatti otam katte'enim hasho'arim asher lo-te'akhalnah meroa

thus said GOD of Hosts: I am going to let loose sword, famine, and pestilence against them and I will treat them as loathsome figs, so bad that they cannot be eaten.

veradafti akharehem bakherev bara'av uvaddaver unetattim (lzvh) [leza'avah] lekhol mamlekhot ha'arets le'alah uleshammah velishreqah ulekherpah bekhol-haggoyim asher-hiddakhtim sham

I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, an execration and an object of horror and hissing and scorn among all the nations to which I shall banish them,

takhat asher-lo-shame'u el-devaray ne'um-Adonai asher shalakhti alehem et-avaday hannevi'im hashkem veshaloakh velo shematem ne'um-Adonai

because they did not heed My words—declares GOD—when I persistently sent to them My servants, the prophets, and they did not heed—declares GOD.

ve'attem shimu devar-Adonai kol-haggolah asher-shillakhti mirushalai͏m bavelah

But you, the whole exile community that I banished from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of GOD!

koh-amar Adonai tseva'ot elohe yisra'el el-akhav ben-qolayah ve'el-tsidqiyyahu ven-ma'aseyah hannibbe'im lakhem bishmi shaqer hinni noten otam beyad nevukhadretsar melekh-bavel vehikkam le'enekhem

Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in My name: I am going to deliver them into the hands of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall put them to death before your eyes.

veluqqakh mehem qelalah lekhol galut yehudah asher bevavel lemor yesimkha Adonai ketsidqiyyahu ukhe'ekhav asher-qalam melekh-bavel ba'esh

And the whole community of Judah in Babylonia shall use a curse derived from their fate: “May God make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon consigned to the flames!”—

ya'an asher asu nevalah beyisra'el vayena'afu et-neshe re'ehem vayedabberu davar bishmi sheqer asher lo tsivvitim ve'anokhi (hvyd) [hayyodea] va'ed ne'um-Adonai

because they did vile things in Israel, committing adultery with the wives of their fellows and speaking in My name false words that I had not commanded them. I am the One who knows and bears witness—declares GOD.

ve'el-shemayahu hannekhelami tomar lemor

Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall say:

koh-amar Adonai tseva'ot elohe yisra'el lemor ya'an asher attah shalakhta veshimkhah sefarim el-kol-ha'am asher birushalai͏m ve'el-tsefanyah ven-ma'aseyah hakkohen ve'el kol-hakkohanim lemor

Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to the rest of the priests, as follows,

Adonai netanekha khohen takhat yehoyada hakkohen lihyot peqidim bet Adonai lekhol-ish meshugga umitnabbe venatattah oto el-hammahpekhet ve'el-hatsinoq

“GOD appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada, to exercise authority in the House of GOD over every maniac who wants to play the prophet, to put them into the stocks and into the pillory.

ve'attah lammah lo ga'arta beyirmeyahu ha'annetoti hammitnabbe lakhem

Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who plays the prophet among you?

ki al-ken shalakh elenu bavel lemor arukkah hi benu vattim veshevu venitu gannot ve'ikhlu et-perihen

For he has actually sent a message to us in Babylon to this effect: It will be a long time. Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and enjoy their fruit.”—

vayyiqra tsefanyah hakkohen et-hassefer hazzeh be'ozne yirmeyahu hannavi

When the priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah,

vayehi devar-Adonai el-yirmeyahu lemor

the word of GOD came to Jeremiah:

shelakh al-kol-haggolah lemor koh amar Adonai el-shemayah hannekhelami ya'an asher nibba lakhem shemayah va'ani lo shelakhtiv vayyavtakh etkhem al-shaqer

Send a message to the entire exile community: “Thus said GOD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you false promises,

lakhen koh-amar Adonai hinni foqed al-shemayah hannekhelami ve'al-zaro lo-yihyeh lo ish yoshev betokh-ha'am hazzeh velo-yireh vattov asher-ani oseh-le'ammi ne'um-Adonai ki-sarah dibber al-Adonai

assuredly, thus said GOD: I am going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There shall be no one of his line dwelling among this people or seeing the good things I am going to do for My people—declares GOD—for he has urged disloyalty toward GOD.”