Jeremiah's Letter to the Jews in Babylonia
1 I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders of the people, and to all the others whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia. 2 I wrote it after King Jehoiachin, his mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, the engravers, and the skilled workers had been taken into exile. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. It said:
4 “The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those people whom he allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia: 5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease. 7 Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too. 8 I, the Lord, the God of Israel, warn you not to let yourselves be deceived by the prophets who live among you or by any others who claim they can predict the future. Do not pay any attention to their dreams. 9 They are telling you lies in my name. I did not send them. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.’
10 “The Lord says, ‘When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home. 11 I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. 13 You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the Lord, have spoken.’
15 “You say that the Lord has given you prophets in Babylonia. 16 Listen to what the Lord says about the king who rules the kingdom that David ruled and about the people of this city, that is, your relatives who were not taken away as prisoners with you. 17 The Lord Almighty says, ‘I am bringing war, starvation, and disease on them, and I will make them like figs that are too rotten to be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with war, starvation, and disease, and all the nations of the world will be horrified at what they see. Everywhere I scatter them, people will be shocked and terrified at what has happened to them. People will make fun of them and use their name as a curse. 19 This will happen to them because they did not obey the message that I kept on sending to them through my servants the prophets. They refused to listen. 20 All of you whom I sent into exile in Babylonia, listen to what I, the Lord, say.’
21 “The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has spoken about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are telling you lies in his name. He has said that he will hand them over to the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, who will put them to death before your eyes. 22 When the people who were taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia want to bring a curse on someone, they will say, ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylonia roasted alive!’ 23 This will be their fate because they are guilty of terrible sins—they have committed adultery and have told lies in the Lord's name. This was against the Lord's will; he knows what they have done, and he is a witness against them. The Lord has spoken.”
The Letter of Shemaiah
24-25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, gave me a message for Shemaiah of Nehelam, who had sent a letter in his own name to all the people of Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests. In this letter Shemaiah wrote to Zephaniah:
26 “The Lord made you a priest in place of Jehoiada, and you are now the chief officer in the Temple. It is your duty to see that every crazy person who pretends to be a prophet is placed in chains with an iron collar around the neck. 27 Why haven't you done this to Jeremiah of Anathoth, who has been speaking as a prophet to the people? 28 He must be stopped because he told the people in Babylonia that they would be prisoners there a long time and should build houses, settle down, plant gardens, and eat what they grow.”
29 Zephaniah read the letter to me, 30 and then the Lord told me 31-32 to send to all the prisoners in Babylon this message about Shemaiah: “I, the Lord, will punish Shemaiah and all of his descendants. I did not send him, but he spoke to you as if he were a prophet, and he made you believe lies. He will have no descendants among you. He will not live to see the good things that I am going to do for my people, because he told them to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
1 Šī ir vārds pa vārdam tā vēstule, ko pravietis Jeremija sūtīja no Jeruzālemes vēl dzīvajiem tautas vecajiem un priesteriem, un praviešiem, un visiem ļaudīm, ko Nebukadnēcars no Jeruzālemes bija trimdā aizvedis uz Bābeli, - 2 kad ķēniņš Jehonja un ķēniņiene, galminieki, kā arī Jūdas un Jeruzālemes lielkungi un amatnieki un kalēji bija aizvesti no Jeruzālemes, - 3 un kas nosūtīta ar Ēleasu, Šafana dēlu, un ar Gemarju, Hilkija dēlu, ko Jūdas ķēniņš sūtīja uz Bābeli pie Bābeles ķēniņa Nebukadnēcara. 4 Vēstule skan: "Tā saka Tas Kungs, Israēla Dievs, visiem trimdiniekiem, ko Es liku izvest no Jeruzālemes uz Bābeli: 5 celiet namus un dzīvojiet tajos! Dēstiet dārzus un baudiet to augļus! 6 Ņemiet sievas un dzemdiniet dēlus un meitas! Ņemiet arī saviem dēliem sievas un dodiet savām meitām vīrus, lai viņas savukārt kļūst par mātēm dēliem un meitām, ka jūs tur vairojaties un neejat mazumā! 7 Rūpējieties par tās pilsētas labklājību, kurp Es jūs liku aizvest, un pielūdziet To Kungu par to, jo tās labklājība būs arī jūsu labklājība." 8 Jo tā saka Tas Kungs, Israēla Dievs: "Lai jūs nemaldina jūsu pravieši, kas jūsu vidū dzīvo, nedz arī jūsu zīlnieki; neticiet arī saviem sapņiem, ko jūs redzat! 9 Jo tie ir meli, ko viņi jums sludina Manā Vārdā, Es viņus neesmu sūtījis, tā saka Tas Kungs, 10 tiešām tā saka Tas Kungs: kad septiņdesmit gadi Bābelē būs pilnīgi pagājuši, tad Es atkal par jums gādāšu un izpildīšu Savu apsolījumu, ka Es jūs atvedīšu atpakaļ šinī vietā. 11 Jo Es zinu, kādas Man domas par jums, saka Tas Kungs, miera un glābšanas domas un ne ļaunuma un ciešanu domas, ka Es jums beigās došu to, ko jūs cerat. 12 Kad jūs Mani tad piesauksit, Es jums atbildēšu, un, kad jūs nāksit un Mani pielūgsit, Es jūs paklausīšu. 13 Kad jūs Mani meklēsit, jūs Mani atradīsit. Ja jūs no visas sirds Mani meklēsit, 14 Es būšu atrodams, tā saka Tas Kungs, un Es jūs salasīšu kopā no visām tautām un no visām tām vietām, uz kurieni Es jūs izraidīju, saka Tas Kungs, un atvedīšu jūs atpakaļ tanī vietā, no kurienes Es jūs liku aizvest! 15 Bet, kad jūs sakāt: Tas Kungs mums deva praviešus arī Bābelē, - tad lieta šāda: 16 tiešām tā saka Tas Kungs par ķēniņu, kas sēd uz Dāvida troņa, un par visu tautu, kas dzīvo šinī pilsētā, un par jūsu tautiešiem, kas ar jums nav gājuši trimdā, 17 tā saka Tas Kungs Cebaots: redzi, Es raidīšu viņiem virsū zobenu, badu, mēri un darīšu tos kā sabojātas vīģes, kas ir tik nelāgas, ka tās nevar ēst. 18 Un Es tos vajāšu ar zobenu, badu un mēri un padarīšu tos par baigu paraugu visām valstīm virs zemes, par lāstu un biedēkli, par apsmieklu un nievām visu tautu vidū, starp kurām Es tos esmu izklīdinājis 19 par sodu tam, ka tie neklausīja Maniem vārdiem, saka Tas Kungs, jo Es taču vienmēr sūtīju pie viņiem Savus kalpus praviešus, bet jūs neklausījāt," - tāds ir Tā Kunga lēmums. 20 "Tad klausaities Tā Kunga vārdu, jūs līdzi paņemtie, ko Es liku izvest no Jeruzālemes uz Bābeli!" 21 Tad nu tā saka Tas Kungs Cebaots, Israēla Dievs, par Ahabu, Kolajas dēlu, un par Cedekiju, Maāsejas dēlu, kas abi jums sludina par nākotni melus Manā Vārdā: "Es tos nodošu Bābeles ķēniņa Nebukadnēcara rokās, lai viņš tos soda ar nāvi jūsu acu priekšā!" 22 Starp Jūdas ļaudīm, kas aizvesti trimdā uz Bābeli, radīsies lāstu vārds, un tie sacīs: "Lai Tas Kungs tev dara kā Cedekijam un kā Ahabam, kurus Bābeles ķēniņš cepināja ugunī 23 par sodu tam, ka tie Israēlā ļāvās bezdievībai, pārkāpa laulību ar savu tuvāko sievām un sludināja melus Manā Vārdā, ko Es tiem nebiju pavēlējis. Man tas ir droši zināms, un Es to apliecinu," saka Tas Kungs. 24 Šemajam no Nehelamas saki: 25 "Tā saka Tas Kungs Cebaots, Israēla Dievs: tādēļ ka tu sūtīji savā vārdā vēstuli visai tautai Jeruzālemē un priesterim Cefanjam, Maāsejas dēlam, un visiem priesteriem, ziņodams: 26 Tas Kungs ir tevi iecēlis par priesteri priestera Jojadas vietā, lai Tā Kunga namā būtu uzraugs pār katru prātu zaudējušo, kas uzstājas kā pravietis, ka tu to savaldi, ieslēdz kakla dzelžos un ieliec siekstā, - 27 kāpēc tad tu neuzstājies pret Jeremiju no Anatotas, kas uzskata sevi par pravieti starp jums? 28 Tādēļ taču viņš sūtīja mums uz Bābeli vēstuli, kurā viņš saka: tas vēl ilgi tā paliks; celiet namus un dzīvojiet tajos, dēstiet dārzus un baudiet to augļus!" 29 Kad priesteris Cefanja bija izlasījis šo vēstuli pats pravietim Jeremijam priekšā, 30 tad pār Jeremiju nāca Tā Kunga vārds: 31 "Sūti visiem trimdā aizvestajiem šādu ziņu: tā saka Tas Kungs par Šemaju no Nehalamas: tā kā Šemaja uzstājies pie jums kā pravietis un Es neesmu viņu sūtījis, tad viņš jūs ir pavedinājis paļauties uz meliem, 32 un tādēļ saka Tas Kungs: redzi, Es likšu to nožēlot Šemajam no Nehalamas un viņa pēcnācējiem! Viņam nebūs neviena pēcnācēja, kas dzīvo šīs tautas vidū; viņš nepiedzīvos arī to laimi, ko Es esmu paredzējis piešķirt Savai tautai, saka Tas Kungs, jo viņš skubināja nepaklausīt Tam Kungam un atkāpties no Viņa."
