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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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Jeremiah tells Jews in Babylon to prepare for seventy years of
captivity—Those remaining in Jerusalem shall yet be
scattered—Shemaiah prophesies falsely and is cursed.
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1 NOW these are
the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto
the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the
priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had
carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
2 (After that aJeconiah the king,
and the queen, and the beunuchs, the
cprinces of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and
the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)
3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,
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4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant
agardens, and eat the fruit of them;
6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
7 And seek the apeace of the city
whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD
for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
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8 ¶ For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel; Let not your prophets and your adiviners, that
be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your
bdreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9 For they aprophesy falsely
unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.
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10 ¶ For thus saith the LORD, That after
aseventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit
youa,
and bperform my good word toward you, in causing you to
creturn to this place.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
aend.
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10a after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon I will visit you The set period of 70 years is of a
curious interest. Moses and the children of Israel did but wander in the
wilderness for the time of 40 years for the older generation who had been
entrenched in Egyptian society to pass away before the Lord brought the
children of Israel to enter into the promised land. It seems that the Lord
in the case of the Babylonian captivity not only designs that the older
generation pass away, but even that the rising generation be established in
the doctrine while still in Babylon and that their more properly taught
children in the way of the Lord, two generations removed from that most
wicked generation which fell into the Babylonia captivity, be that generation
which is allowed to return to Jersalem, fully rejuvinated in the true
doctrine and removed from the most wicked influences of the pagans which had
remained amoung the Jews, be that generation that is allowed to come back to
rebuild the temple and actually prepare for the coming day of the birth of
the Messiah.
Thus significantly when the Jews do return after 70 years, they have a
number of prophets and they are listening to them. And they are dedicated to
the Lord and to the restoration of Jerusalem and to the rebuilding of the
temple. Some of these minor prophets are actually some who have strong visions
and prophesies concerning the coming day of the Lord. One in particular is
Zechariah.
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12 Then shall ye acall upon me, and
ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will bhearken unto
you.
13 And ye shall aseek me, and find
me, when ye shall asearch for me with all your
cheart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I
will turn away your captivity, and I will agather you from
all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the
LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be
carried away captive.
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15 ¶ Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16 Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
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17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send
upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like
vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so aevil.
18 And I will apersecute them with
the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to
be bremoved to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse,
and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations
whither I have driven them:
19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
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20 ¶ Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
23 Because they have committed
avillany in Israel, and have committed
badultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken
lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and
am a witness, saith the LORD.
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24 ¶ Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,
25 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.
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27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah
of aAnathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?
28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
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30 ¶ Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus
saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath
prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a
alie:
32 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.
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