Jeremiah:29-30
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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 ;
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After that Jeconiah the king ,
and the queen ,
and the eunuchs ,
the princes of Judah and Jerusalem ,
and the carpenters ,
and the smiths ,
were departed from Jerusalem ;)
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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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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 ;
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Build ye houses ,
and dwell in them ;
and plant gardens ,
and eat the fruit of them ;
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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 .
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And seek the peace 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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For thus saith the LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel ;
Let not your prophets and your diviners ,
that be in the midst of you ,
deceive you ,
neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed .
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For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name :
I have not sent them ,
saith the LORD .
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For thus saith the LORD ,
That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you ,
and perform my good word toward you ,
in causing you to return to this place .
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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 end .
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Then shall ye call upon me ,
and ye shall go and pray unto me ,
and I will hearken unto you .
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And ye shall seek me ,
and find me ,
when ye shall search for me with all your heart .
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And I will be found of you ,
saith the LORD :
and I will turn away your captivity ,
and I will gather 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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Because ye have said ,
The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon ;
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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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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 evil .
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And I will persecute them with the sword ,
with the famine ,
and with the pestilence ,
and will deliver them to be removed 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 :
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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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Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD ,
all ye of the captivity ,
whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon :
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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 ;
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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 ;
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Because they have committed villany in Israel ,
and have committed adultery 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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Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite ,
saying ,
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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 ,
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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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Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth ,
which maketh himself a prophet to you ?
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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 .
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And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet .
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Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah ,
saying ,
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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 lie :
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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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The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD ,
saying ,
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Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel ,
saying ,
Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book .
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For ,
lo ,
the days come ,
saith the LORD ,
that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah ,
saith the LORD :
and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers ,
and they shall possess it .
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And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah .
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For thus saith the LORD ;
We have heard a voice of trembling ,
of fear ,
and not of peace .
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Ask ye now ,
and see whether a man doth travail with child ?
wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins ,
as a woman in travail ,
and all faces are turned into paleness ?
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Alas !
for that day is great ,
so that none is like it :
it is even the time of Jacob '
s trouble ;
but he shall be saved out of it .
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For it shall come to pass in that day ,
saith the LORD of hosts ,
that I will break his yoke from off thy neck ,
and will burst thy bonds ,
and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him :
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But they shall serve the LORD their God ,
and David their king ,
whom I will raise up unto them .
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Therefore fear thou not ,
O my servant Jacob ,
saith the LORD ;
neither be dismayed ,
O Israel :
for ,
lo ,
I will save thee from afar ,
and thy seed from the land of their captivity ;
and Jacob shall return ,
and shall be in rest ,
and be quiet ,
and none shall make him afraid .
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For I am with thee ,
saith the LORD ,
to save thee :
though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee ,
yet will I not make a full end of thee :
but I will correct thee in measure ,
and will not leave thee altogether unpunished .
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For thus saith the LORD ,
Thy bruise is incurable ,
and thy wound is grievous .
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There is none to plead thy cause ,
that thou mayest be bound up :
thou hast no healing medicines .
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All thy lovers have forgotten thee ;
they seek thee not ;
for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy ,
with the chastisement of a cruel one ,
for the multitude of thine iniquity ;
because thy sins were increased .
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Why criest thou for thine affliction ?
thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity :
because thy sins were increased ,
I have done these things unto thee .
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Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured ;
and all thine adversaries ,
every one of them ,
shall go into captivity ;
and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil ,
and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey .
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For I will restore health unto thee ,
and I will heal thee of thy wounds ,
saith the LORD ;
because they called thee an Outcast ,
saying ,
This is Zion ,
whom no man seeketh after .
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Thus saith the LORD ;
Behold ,
I will bring again the captivity of Jacob '
s tents ,
and have mercy on his dwellingplaces ;
and the city shall be builded upon her own heap ,
and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof .
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And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry :
and I will multiply them ,
and they shall not be few ;
I will also glorify them ,
and they shall not be small .
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Their children also shall be as aforetime ,
and their congregation shall be established before me ,
and I will punish all that oppress them .
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And their nobles shall be of themselves ,
and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them ;
and I will cause him to draw near ,
and he shall approach unto me :
for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me ?
saith the LORD .
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And ye shall be my people ,
and I will be your God .
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Behold ,
the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury ,
a continuing whirlwind :
it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked .
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The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return ,
until he have done it ,
and until he have performed the intents of his heart :
in the latter days ye shall consider it .
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At the same time ,
saith the LORD ,
will I be the God of all the families of Israel ,
and they shall be my people .