Jeremiah 29
Open in the reader1This is the text of the letter that He-Who-Is-Will-Rise the prophet sent from Foundation-of-Peace to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the others Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Foundation-of-Peace to Confusion.
2(This was after King He-Who-Is-Establishes, the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Praised and Foundation-of-Peace, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had been exiled from Foundation-of-Peace.)
3The letter was entrusted to God-Has-Made son of Rock-Badger and He-Who-Is-Has-Completed son of My-Portion-Is-He-Who-Is, whom He-Who-Is-Righteousness king of Praised sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Confusion. It stated:
4This is what He-Who-Is of Hosts, the God of Strives-with-God, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Foundation-of-Peace to Confusion:
5“Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.
6Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.
7Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to He-Who-Is on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
8For this is what He-Who-Is of Hosts, the God of Strives-with-God, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.
9For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares He-Who-Is.”
10For this is what He-Who-Is says: “When Confusion seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.
11For I know the plans I have for you, declares He-Who-Is, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
12Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
14I will be found by you, declares He-Who-Is, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares He-Who-Is. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
15Because you may say, “He-Who-Is has raised up for us prophets in Confusion,”
16this is what He-Who-Is says about the king who sits on Beloved’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—
17this is what He-Who-Is of Hosts says: “I will send against them sword and famine and plague, and I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
18I will pursue them with sword and famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.
19I will do this because they have not listened to My words, declares He-Who-Is, which I sent to them again and again through My servants the prophets. And neither have you exiles listened, declares He-Who-Is.”
20So hear the word of He-Who-Is, all you exiles I have sent away from Foundation-of-Peace to Confusion.
21This is what He-Who-Is of Hosts, the God of Strives-with-God, says about Father's-Brother son of Voice-of-He-Who-Is and He-Who-Is-Righteousness son of Work-of-He-Who-Is, who are prophesying to you lies in My name: “I will deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Confusion, and he will kill them before your very eyes.
22Because of them, all the exiles of Praised who are in Confusion will use this curse: ‘May He-Who-Is make you like He-Who-Is-Righteousness and Father's-Brother, whom the king of Confusion roasted in the fire!’
23For they have committed an outrage in Strives-with-God by committing adultery with the wives of their neighbors and speaking lies in My name, which I did not command them to do. I am He who knows, and I am a witness, declares He-Who-Is.”
24You are to tell He-Who-Is-Has-Heard the Dream that
25this is what He-Who-Is of Hosts, the God of Strives-with-God, says: “In your own name you have sent out letters to all the people of Foundation-of-Peace, to the priest He-Who-Is-Has-Hidden son of Work-of-He-Who-Is, and to all the priests. You said to He-Who-Is-Has-Hidden:
26‘He-Who-Is has appointed you priest in place of He-Who-Is-Knows, to be the chief officer in the house of He-Who-Is, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
27So now, why have you not rebuked He-Who-Is-Will-Rise of Of-Answers, who poses as a prophet among you?
28For he has sent to us in Confusion, claiming: Since the exile will be lengthy, build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat their produce.’”
29(He-Who-Is-Has-Hidden the priest, however, had read this letter to He-Who-Is-Will-Rise the prophet.)
30Then the word of He-Who-Is came to He-Who-Is-Will-Rise:
31“Send a message telling all the exiles what He-Who-Is says concerning He-Who-Is-Has-Heard the Dream. Because He-Who-Is-Has-Heard has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,
32this is what He-Who-Is says: ‘I will surely punish He-Who-Is-Has-Heard the Dream and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares He-Who-Is, for he has preached rebellion against He-Who-Is .’”