Jeremiah's Letter to the People of Judah in Babylonia
1-2 I had been left in Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar took many of the people of Jerusalem and Judah to Babylonia as prisoners, including King Jehoiachin, his mother, his officials, and the metal workers and others in Jerusalem who were skilled in making things. So I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders, and the rest of our people in Babylonia. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah and Gemariah, two men that King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to Babylon to talk with Nebuchadnezzar. In the letter, I wrote 4 that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. Now I tell you 5 to settle there and build houses. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Get married and have children, then help your sons find wives and help your daughters find husbands, so they can have children as well. I want your numbers to grow, not to get smaller.
7 Pray for peace in Babylonia and work hard to make it prosperous. The more successful that nation is, the better off you will be.
8-9 Some of your people there in Babylonia are fortunetellers, and you have asked them to tell you what will happen in the future. But they will only lead you astray with their dreams. And don't let the prophets fool you, either. They speak in my name, but they are liars. I have not spoken to them.
10 After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for 70 years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised. 11 I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13 You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you 14 and accept your worship. Then I will gather you from all the nations where I scattered you, and you will return to Jerusalem.
15 You feel secure, because you think I have sent prophets to speak for me in Babylonia.
16-19 But I have been sending prophets to the people of Judah for a long time, and the king from David's family and the people who are left in Jerusalem and Judah still don't obey me. So I, the Lord All-Powerful, will keep attacking them with war and hunger and disease, until they are as useless as rotten figs. I will force them to leave the land, and all nations will be disgusted and shocked at what happens to them. The nations will sneer and make fun of them and use the names “Judah” and “Jerusalem” as curse words.
And you have not obeyed me, even though 20 I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. But you had better listen to me now. 21-23 You think Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah are prophets because they claim to speak for me. But they are lying! I haven't told them anything. They are also committing other horrible sins in your community, such as sleeping with the wives of their friends. So I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will put them to death while the rest of you watch. And in the future, when you want to put a curse on someone, you will say, “I pray that the Lord will kill you in the same way the king of Babylonia burned Zedekiah and Ahab to death!”
A Message for Shemaiah
24-25 The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, told me what would happen to Shemaiah, who was one of our people in Babylonia. After my letter reached Babylonia, Shemaiah wrote letters to the people of Jerusalem, including the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and the other priests. The letter to Zephaniah said:
26 After the death of Jehoiada the priest, the Lord chose you to be the priest in charge of the temple security force. You know that anyone who acts crazy and pretends to be a prophet should be arrested and put in chains and iron collars. 27 Jeremiah from the town of Anathoth is pretending to be a prophet there in Jerusalem, so why haven't you punished him? 28 He even wrote a letter to the people here in Babylonia, saying we would be here a long time. He told us to build homes and to plant gardens and grow our own food.
29 When Zephaniah received Shemaiah's letter, he read it to me. 30 Then the Lord told me what to write in a second letter 31 to the people of Judah who had been taken to Babylonia. In this letter, I wrote that the Lord had said:
I, the Lord, have not chosen Shemaiah to be one of my prophets, and he has misled you by telling lies in my name. 32 He has even talked you into disobeying me. So I will punish Shemaiah. He and his descendants won't live to see the good things I will do for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Jeremiab sîǂkhanis Babiloniab ǃnâ hâ Jodeǁîn ǃoa
1 Nēdi ge mîdi kēbo-aob Jeremiab ge Jerusalemsa xu, ûiǃgau ge ǂgaeǂgui-aon ǃkhōsis din, pristergu, kēbo-aogu tsî hoaraga khoen Nebukadnesari ge Jerusalemsa xu Babilonias ǃoa ūǃgû-ū, ǃoa xoa sîǂkhanis dide. 2 Nēs ge gao-aob Jexonjab tsî ǁîb îs, hoaraga mûǂamaogu gao-ommi digu, Judab tsî Jerusalems gaoǀgôagu, haikuru-aogu tsî ǂnūǀuriǂnau-aogu ge Jerusalemsa xu ǃgûs khaoǃgâsa. 3 Nē sîǂkhanis ge Elasab, Safanni ôab, tsî Gamariab, Hilkiab ôab hâkha ǀkha Sedekiab Judab gao-aob xa, Nebukadnesari, Babilons gao-aob ǁga ge sîhekha ge māhe, mî rase:
4 “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli Eloba hoaraga khoen ǃhūsis ǃnâ ta ge tita Jerusalemsa xu Babilonias ǃoa sîn ǃoa ra mî: 5 ‘Omde ǂnubibasen. ǃHanaga ǂgābasen, î ǁîgu ǂûtaniba xu ǂû. 6 ǃGame, î ǀgôana ǁora. An sa ôana ǃgame tsî ǁîn tsîna ǀgôana hō; ǁnāpa ǃgôab ǃnâ ǀarosen, î du tā ǀoro. 7 ǁNā ǃās ǁîs ǃoa ta ǃkhōsase ra sî dus di ǂkhîba ôa. ǁÎna ǀgoreba, ǁîn ga ǃgâiǃgâxa o du sadu ona nî ǃgâiǃgâxa xuige.’ 8 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli Eloba ra mî: Tā du sadu ǁaegu ǁan hâ kēbo-aogu tamas ka io ǁnān ǃgoaxaǁaeban aimûǀgaru ǁkhā ti ra mîn xa ǂgaeǂhapu kaisen. Tā ǁîn di ǁhapode ǃgâ. 9 Ti ǀons ǃnâ gu ra kēbo ti gu ra ǂhumi xuige. ǁÎgu ge tita xa sîhe tama hâ”
tib ge ǃKhūb, Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî.10 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî xuige: “Babilonias di hûdisi kurigu ga ǃkharu, o ta ge nî sari du. Ti mîmâisa dīǀoaǀoa tsî ta ge sado nî oahā-ū. 11 Tita ge ǁnā ǂâidi sadu xa ta ra ǂâide a ǂan xui-ao, ǂâidi ǂkhîb didi tsî ǂkhabab di tamade, î ta ǁnā ǃgoaxaǁaeb ǁîba du gere ǃâubasenna mā du”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.12 “O du ge tita ǂgaiǀî tsî hā tsî tita ǃoa nî ǀgore, o ta ge nî ǁnâu-am du. 13 Tsî du ge tita ôa tsî nî hō, sadu ǂgaob hoab ǀkha du ga ôa teo. 14 O ta ge tita sadu xa nîra hōkaisen, o ta ge tita sadu ǃkhōsisa dī-unu tsî nîra ǀhaoǀhao du ǁaedi hoade xu tsî ǁnā ǃādi, ǁîdi ǃoa ta ge doeǁgabē du di hoade xu. ǁKhāti ta ge tita ǁnā ǃās ǁîsa xu ta ge sado ǃkhōsabese ǂgaeǂguibē kais ǃoa ǁkhawa nîra ūhā du”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.15 Sadu ǃKhūb ge kēbo-aoga Babilons tawa ge ǂkhaiǂkhaiba da ti ra mî amaga.
16 ǁNā-amagab ra ǃKhūba nēti mî ǁnā gao-aob, Davidi trons ai ǂnôab xa tsî ǁnā ǁaes, nē ǃās ǃnâ ǁan hâs hoas xa, ǁnā ǃgâsan âdu, sadu ǀkha ǃkhōsisa xu ǃgûǂoa taman xa. 17 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî: “Mû, tita ge gôab tsî ǃâtsūǀkhāb tsî ǂhīǁōb tsîga ǁîn ǁaegu nîra sî tsî tita ge ǁîna ǁnā ǁgaisi ǀnoman, hîa ǁgaorasib ân ǃaroma ǂûhe ǁoan khami nîra dī. 18 Tsî tita ge ǁîna nîra sauruǃgon gôab ǀkha tsî ǃâtsūǀkhāb ǀkha tsî ǂhīǁōb ǀkha. Tsî ta ge ǁîna gaosidi hoade ǃhuriǃhurixūse nîra māǁnâ tsî ǀâxarese tsî burugâse tsî ǃhōxūse tsî ǃharaxūxūse ǁnā ǁaedi, ǁîdi ǃoa ta ǁîna nî doeǁgasīdi hoadi ǁaegu. 19 Ti mîdi ain ge ǃgaoǃgâ tama i amaga, ti ǃgāgu kēbo-aoga ta ge ǁîn ǃoa ǃnauǁgoaga sîo. Xawe sadu ge ǁnâu ǂgao tama ge i”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.20 “Î du ǁnâi ǁnâu ǃKhūb di mîsa, sadu ǃkhōsase ge ǂgaeǂguibēhedo, tita xa Jerusalemsa xu Babilons ǃoa sîbēhe hâdu hoado.” 21 Nētib ra ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli Eloba mî Axab Kolajab ôab tsî Sedekiab Maasejab ôab tsîkha, ti ǀons ǃnâ ǂkhabase ra kēboba du kha xa: Mû, tita ge ǁîkha Nebukadnesari Babilons gao-aob ǃomǁae nîra mā, ob ge ǁîba ǁîkha sadu di mûdi aiǃâ nîra ǂnau. 22 Tsî ǁîkha xu i ge ǀâxare-e nîra ūhe, ǃkhōsase Judaba xu ge ǂgaeǂguibēhe hâ in hoan, Babilons, ǃnâ hâ khoen tawa: Ab ǃKhūba dī tsî Sedekiab tsî Axab tsîkha, Babilons gao-aob xa ǀaes ǃnâ ge amhekha khami, tin nî mîs kōse. 23 Gâresi-e kha Israeli ǃnâ gere dī; tsî ǀgūkhoegu âkha di taradi ǀkha kha gere ǀai tsî mîsa kha ti ǀons ǃnâ ǂkhabase gere kēbo amaga, ǁîkha ta mîmā tama khami. Tsî tita ge ǁnā ta, ǁî xūna a ǂan tsî ǁîna ra ǀhûǀguitimî ta,
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.24 Tsî Semajab Nexelamǁîb ǃoats ge ǃhoa tsî nî mî; 25 Nētib ra ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, Israeli Eloba ra mî: ǂKhanidets ge satsa sa ǀons ǃnâ ǁaes Jerusalems ǃnâ hâs hoas ǃoa tsî Sefanjab, Maasejab ôab, pristeri tsî pristergu hoagu ǃoa sî amaga, mî rase:
26 “ǃKhūb ge satsa pristerse ge mâi, pristeri Jojadab di ǃās ǃnâ mûǂamaots nîga, ǃKhūb ommi ǃnâ mâ aob, ǃkhausab tsî kēbo-aose ra dīsenni hoab ǂama, ǁîbats nî ǂnûise ǃkhō-oms ǃnâs kas ǃnaob ǃnâs kas hoasa. 27 Tsî nēsi tarexats kha ǁnâi Jeremiab, Anatotǁîb, ǁî-aitsama sadu tawa kēbo-aose ra dīsenna ǀau tama hâ? 28 ǁNā-amagas ge sida ǁgab Babilons ǃoa ge sîsa mî raǃâ: ‘ǂOmxa nîra, xuige omde ǂnubibasen, î du ǁîdi ǃnâ ǁan, î du ǃhanaga ǂgā, î du ǁîgu ǂûn xa ǂû.’ ” 29 Tsî Sefanjab, pristeri, ge nē ǂkhanisa ge khomai kēbo-aob Jeremiab ǂgaera ǃnâ. 30 ǁNā-amagas ge ǃKhūb di mîsa Jeremiaba hāba tsî ge mî: 31 “Sîsī ǁnān ǃkhōsabese ge ūǃgûbēhen hoan ǃoa, mî raǃâ: ‘Nētib ra ǃKhūba mî Semajab, Nexelamǁîb xa Semajab sado gere kēboba amaga, tita ǁîba sî tama hîa, tsî ǂhumib ai du nî ǂgomaiǂnûi ǃkhaisab ge dī amaga.’ 32 ǁNā-amagab ra ǃKhūba nēti mî: ‘Mû, tita ge nîra ôaǃnâ Semajab, Nexelamǁîb ǂama tsî ǁîb di surib ǂama. ǁÎb ge khoe-i ǁaes ǁaegu nî ǁan-i tsî ǁnā ǃgâib, tita ti ǁaesa nî dī-ūba nî mû-i xare-e ūhâ tide, ǁnāǁgôasi-eb ǁîba ǃKhūb ǃoagu gere ǃhoa xui-ao,’ ”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.