Letters to the Exiles (29:1-32) 343from Jerusalem to Babylon-^2 after Jeconiah, the king, and the queen
mother and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the
craftsmen and the smiths had gone out from Jerusalem-^3 by the hand of
Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah,
king of Judah, sent to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in Babylon:(^4) Thus said Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I
exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon:
(^5) Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit.
(^6) Take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take for your sons
wives, and your daughters give to husbands, and let them bear sons
and daughters. Yes, multiply there, and do not decrease.^7 And seek the
welfare of the city where I have exiled you, and pray on its behalf to
Yahweh, for in its welfare will be welfare for you.
(^8) For thus said Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel:
Do not let your prophets who are in your midst or your diviners de-
ceive you; also do not listen to your dreamersa whom you cause to
dream.^9 For by a lie they are prophesying to you in my name. I have
not sent them-oracle of Yahweh.
(^1) °For thus said Yahweh:
When Babylon has completed seventy years before me, I will attend to
you and confirm upon you my good word to bring you back to this
place.^11 For I, I know the plans that I am planning concerning you-
oracle of Yahweh-plans of welfare and not for evil, to give to you a
future and a hope.^12 And you will call me and will come and pray to
me, and I will listen to you.^13 And you will search for me and will find
if you seek me with your whole heart.
(^14) And I will be found by you
-oracle of Yahweh-
and I will restore your fortunes.
And I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places
where I have dispersed you-oracle of Yahweh-and I will bring you
back to the place from which I exiled you.
(^15) Because you have said, 'Yahweh has raised up for us prophets in
Babylon':
(^16) For thus said Yahweh concerning the king who sits on the throne of
David and concerning all the people who sit in this city-your broth-
ers who did not go out with you into exile:
•Repointing MT's hiiliimiitekem ("your dreams") to biiliimiitekem or emending to bolemekem
("your dreamers"), to achieve consistency with "your prophets" and "your diviners," as in 27:9
(see Notes).