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Now these are the words of the letterwhichJeremiah the prophetsent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the peoplewhomNebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
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(This was afterKingJeconiah and the queenmother, the courtofficials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.)
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The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whomZedekiahking of Judahsent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, saying,
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'Takewives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and takewives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bearsons and daughters; and multiplythere and do not decrease.
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"For thussays the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Do not let your prophetswho are in your midst and your divinersdeceive you, and do not listen to the dreamswhich they dream.
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"For thussays the LORD, 'Whenseventyyears have beencompleted for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My goodword to you, to bring you back to thisplace.
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'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the placeswhere* I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where* I sent you into exile.'
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for thussays the LORDconcerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerningall the people who dwell in thiscity, your brotherswho did not go with you into exile -
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thussays the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like split-openfigs that cannot be eatendue to rottenness.
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'I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and a horror and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nationswhere* I have driven them,
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because* they have not listened to My words,' declares the LORD, 'which I sent to them again and again by My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,' declares the LORD.
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"Thussays the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerningAhab the son of Kolaiah and concerningZedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you falsely in My name, 'Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes.
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'Because of them a curse will be used by all the exiles from Judahwho are in Babylon, saying, "May the LORDmake you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylonroasted in the fire,
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because* they have actedfoolishly in Israel, and have committedadultery with their neighbors'wives and have spokenwords in My namefalsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who knows and am a witness," declares the LORD.' "
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To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,
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"Thussays the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Because* you have sentletters in your own name to all the peoplewho are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
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"The LORD has made you priestinstead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the overseer in the house of the LORD over everymadman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and in the ironcollar,
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Then came the word of the LORD to Jeremiah, saying,
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"Send to all the exiles, saying, 'Thussays the LORDconcerningShemaiah the Nehelamite, "Because*Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,"
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thereforethussays the LORD, "Behold, I am about to punishShemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants; he will not haveanyonelivingamongthispeople, and he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people," declares the LORD, "because he has preachedrebellionagainst the LORD.""'