New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 29
1
I, the prophet Jeremiah, sent a letter from Jerusalem to Babylonia. It was for the Jewish elders who were still alive there. It was also for the priests and prophets in Babylonia. And it was for all of the other people Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Reference
2
It was sent to them after King Jehoiachin had been forced to leave Jerusalem. His mother and the court officials were taken with him. The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem and all of the skilled workers had also been forced to go to Babylon.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 27:20
3
I gave the letter to Elasah and Gemariah. Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had sent them to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. Elasah was the son of Shaphan. Gemariah was the son of Hilkiah. Here is what the letter said.
People
4
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He speaks to all those he forced to go from Jerusalem to Babylon. He says,
Reference
References God
Jeremiah 24:5
6
Get married. Have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons. Give your daughters to be married. Then they too can have sons and daughters. Increase your numbers there. Do not let the number of your people get smaller.
Reference
7
"Also work for the success of the city I have sent you to. Pray to the Lord for that city. If it succeeds, you too will enjoy success."
Reference
8
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "Do not let the prophets trick you. Do not be fooled by those who claim to have secret knowledge. Do not listen to people who try to explain their dreams to you.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Timothy 3:13
Prophecy
Jeremiah 5:31
Jeremiah 14:14
Jeremiah 28:15
Jeremiah 23:21
Jeremiah 27:9
References God
Ephesians 5:6
9
All of them are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," announces the Lord.
Reference
10
The Lord says, "You will be forced to live in Babylonia for 70 years. After they are over, I will come to you. My gracious promise to you will come true. I will bring you back home.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zechariah 7:5
Jeremiah 27:7
References Lord
Jeremiah 27:22
Zephaniah 2:7
Sin
Jeremiah 25:12
Word
Daniel 9:2
11
"I know the plans I have for you," announces the Lord. "I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come.
Reference
Parallel theme
Job 23:13
References Lord
Psalm 33:11
Micah 4:12
Psalm 40:5
Lamentations 3:26
Hosea 3:5
Zechariah 1:6
14
"I will be found by you," announces the Lord. "And I will bring you back from where you were taken as prisoners. I will gather you from all of the nations. I will gather you from the places where I have forced you to go," announces the Lord. "I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you away."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 32:6
Psalm 46:1
Romans 10:20
References Lord
Jeremiah 30:3
1 Chronicles 28:9
Isaiah 45:19
Psalm 126:1
Psalm 126:4
Jeremiah 30:10
Deuteronomy 30:3
15
You might say, "The Lord has given us prophets in Babylonia."
16
But here is what the Lord says about the king who now sits on David's throne. He also says it about all of the people who remain in this city. And he says it about all those who did not go with you to Babylon.
17
The Lord who rules over all says, "I will send war, hunger and plague against them. I will make them like bad figs. They are so bad they can't be eaten.
Reference
Word
Jeremiah 29:18
18
I will hunt them down with war, hunger and plague. I will make all of the kingdoms on earth displeased with them. They will call down curses on them. All of the nations where I drive them will be shocked at them. They will make fun of them. And they will bring shame on them.
Reference
Curse
Jeremiah 42:18
Isaiah 65:15
Kingdom
Jeremiah 15:4
Jeremiah 34:17
Jeremiah 24:9
Deuteronomy 28:25
Jeremiah 25:9
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 12:15
Sin
2 Chronicles 29:8
Word
Luke 21:24
19
"That is because they have not listened to my words," announces the Lord. "I sent messages to them again and again. I sent them through my servants the prophets. And you who were taken to Babylon have not listened either," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 12:25
Sin
Jeremiah 32:33
Jeremiah 7:13
Word
Jeremiah 6:19
Jeremiah 26:5
Jeremiah 34:17
20
So listen to the Lord's message. Listen, all of you whom he has sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Reference
21
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He speaks about Ahab and Zedekiah. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. Ahab is the son of Kolaiah. Zedekiah is the son of Maaseiah. The Lord says about Ahab and Zedekiah, "I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. He will put them to death. You will see it with your own eyes.
Reference
People
Prophecy
Lamentations 2:14
22
"Because of what happens to them, people will use their names when they call down curses on someone. All those who have been taken from Judah to Babylon will use their names in that way. They will say, 'May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab. The king of Babylonia burned them in the fire.'
Reference
Curse
Isaiah 65:15
Parallel theme
Daniel 3:6
Daniel 3:21
Genesis 48:20
References Lord
1 Corinthians 16:22
Ruth 4:11
23
"That will happen because they have done awful things in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives. They have spoken lies in my name. I did not tell them to do that. I know what they have done. And I am a witness to it," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 23:14
Hebrews 4:13
Jeremiah 16:17
References Lord
Proverbs 5:21
Jeremiah 29:21
Witness
Malachi 3:5
25
"The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, 'You sent letters in your own name to all of the people in Jerusalem. You also sent them to the priest Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah. And you sent them to all of the other priests. " 'You said to Zephaniah,
Reference
26
"The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge of the Lord's house. You are supposed to arrest any crazy person who claims to be a prophet. You should put him in prison. You should put iron bands around his neck.
Reference
People
Creation
Acts 16:24
Parallel theme
Acts 26:24
John 10:20
Mark 3:21
Prophecy
Hosea 9:7
References Lord
2 Kings 9:11
27
" ' "So why haven't you punished Jeremiah from Anathoth? He claims to be a prophet among you.
28
He has sent a message to us in Babylon. It says, 'You will be there a long time. So build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.' " ' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 29:5
29
But the priest Zephaniah read the letter to me.
30
Then a message came to me from the Lord. He said,
31
"Send a message to all of the people who were taken away. Tell them, 'The Lord speaks about Shemaiah, the Nehelamite. He says, "Shemaiah has prophesied to you. But I did not send him. He has made you believe a lie.
Reference
References Lord
Jeremiah 29:9
32
" ' "So I say, 'I will certainly punish Shemaiah, the Nehelamite. I will also punish his children after him. He will not have any children left among these people. I will do good things for my people. But he will not see them,' " ' " announces the Lord. " ' " 'That is because he has taught people to turn against me.' " ' "
Reference
Summary of Jeremiah 29
Jeremiah 29 contains one of the most important letters in the book, written by Jeremiah to the Judean exiles living in Babylon after the deportation of 597 BC. Instead of telling them that their captivity will end quickly, Jeremiah gives them a difficult instruction: settle down, build houses, plant gardens, marry, raise families, and establish a stable community, because their exile will last for a long time.
This message directly challenges the prophets who were promising an immediate return to Jerusalem. Jeremiah tells the exiles not to believe these optimistic predictions because God has determined that the Babylonian period will continue for seventy years, meaning that they must learn how to remain faithful to God while living in a foreign empire rather than spending their entire lives waiting for an immediate escape.
One of the most remarkable instructions is that the exiles should seek the peace and welfare of Babylon and pray for the city, even though Babylon is the nation that conquered their homeland and carried them into captivity. Their response to exile is therefore not supposed to be hatred, isolation, or constant political rebellion, but faithful living, productive community life, prayer, and trust in God's long-term purposes.
The chapter then gives the exiles a message of hope: God tells them that He knows the plans He has for them, plans involving a future and hope, and promises that after the appointed period He will gather them from the nations and bring them back. The promise is not simply about returning geographically to Jerusalem, however, because God also says that His people will seek Him, pray to Him, and find Him when they seek Him wholeheartedly.
This makes the chapter's famous promise much richer than a general statement that everything will soon become comfortable. The promise of hope is given in the middle of a seventy-year period of difficulty, meaning that God's plan involves faithfulness during hardship rather than an immediate removal of hardship.
Jeremiah also warns those still living in Jerusalem not to assume that they are safer simply because they have not yet been deported. In God's eyes, the exiles can actually represent the group He intends to preserve, while those who remain in Jerusalem and continue rebelling may face even more severe judgment.
The final part of the chapter returns to the problem of false prophets, naming Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah among those who claimed to speak for God while contradicting Jeremiah's message. Their actions demonstrate how dangerous false spiritual confidence can become, particularly when people use religious authority to give others promises that God has not made.
The central message is that faithfulness does not always mean immediate rescue from difficult circumstances, because sometimes God's purpose requires His people to live faithfully within a difficult situation for an extended period while trusting that He has not abandoned them; Jeremiah therefore tells the exiles to build lives, families, and communities in Babylon, seek the welfare of the society around them, pray, and remain faithful while waiting for God's appointed time, assuring them that their exile will eventually end and that God has a future for them, while simultaneously warning them not to exchange genuine hope for comforting but false promises of quick deliverance.
This message directly challenges the prophets who were promising an immediate return to Jerusalem. Jeremiah tells the exiles not to believe these optimistic predictions because God has determined that the Babylonian period will continue for seventy years, meaning that they must learn how to remain faithful to God while living in a foreign empire rather than spending their entire lives waiting for an immediate escape.
One of the most remarkable instructions is that the exiles should seek the peace and welfare of Babylon and pray for the city, even though Babylon is the nation that conquered their homeland and carried them into captivity. Their response to exile is therefore not supposed to be hatred, isolation, or constant political rebellion, but faithful living, productive community life, prayer, and trust in God's long-term purposes.
The chapter then gives the exiles a message of hope: God tells them that He knows the plans He has for them, plans involving a future and hope, and promises that after the appointed period He will gather them from the nations and bring them back. The promise is not simply about returning geographically to Jerusalem, however, because God also says that His people will seek Him, pray to Him, and find Him when they seek Him wholeheartedly.
This makes the chapter's famous promise much richer than a general statement that everything will soon become comfortable. The promise of hope is given in the middle of a seventy-year period of difficulty, meaning that God's plan involves faithfulness during hardship rather than an immediate removal of hardship.
Jeremiah also warns those still living in Jerusalem not to assume that they are safer simply because they have not yet been deported. In God's eyes, the exiles can actually represent the group He intends to preserve, while those who remain in Jerusalem and continue rebelling may face even more severe judgment.
The final part of the chapter returns to the problem of false prophets, naming Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah among those who claimed to speak for God while contradicting Jeremiah's message. Their actions demonstrate how dangerous false spiritual confidence can become, particularly when people use religious authority to give others promises that God has not made.
The central message is that faithfulness does not always mean immediate rescue from difficult circumstances, because sometimes God's purpose requires His people to live faithfully within a difficult situation for an extended period while trusting that He has not abandoned them; Jeremiah therefore tells the exiles to build lives, families, and communities in Babylon, seek the welfare of the society around them, pray, and remain faithful while waiting for God's appointed time, assuring them that their exile will eventually end and that God has a future for them, while simultaneously warning them not to exchange genuine hope for comforting but false promises of quick deliverance.