Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

1This is the Copie of the lettre, yt Ieremy the prophet sent from Ierusalem vnto the presoners: the Senatours, prestes, prophetes, & all the people, whom Nabuchodonosor had led vnto Babilo: 2after ye tyme yt kinge Iechonias & his Quene, his chambrelaynes, the prynces of Iuda & Ierusale & the workmasters of Ierusale were departed thither. 3Which lettre, Elasa ye sonne of Sapha & Gamaria ye sonne of Helchia dyd beare, who Sedechias the kinge of Iuda sent vnto Babilo to Nabuchodonosor ye kinge of Babilo: these were ye wordes of Ieremias lettre: 4Thus hath ye LORDE of hoostes ye God of Israel spoke, vnto all the presoners, yt were led fro Ierusale vnto Babilo: 5Buylde you houses to dwell therein: plate you gardes, yt ye maye enioye the frutes thereof: 6take you wyues, to beare you sonnes and doughters: prouyde wyues for youre sonnes, & husbondes for youre doughters: that they maye get sonnes & doughters, and that ye maye multiplie there. Laboure not to be fewe, 7but seke after peace & prosperite of the cite, where in ye be presoners, & praye vnto God for it. For in the peace there of, shal yor peace be. 8For thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: Let not those prophetes and soythsaiers yt be amonge you, disceaue you: & beleue not youre owne dreames. 9For why, they preach you lies in my name, & I haue not sent them, saieth the LORDE.

10But thus saieth the LORDE: When ye haue fulfilled lxx yeares at Babilon, I wil bringe you home, and of myne owne goodnes I will carie you hither agayne vnto this place. 11For I knowe, what I haue deuysed for you, saieth the LORDE. My thoughtes are to geue you peace, & not trouble (which I geue you all redie) & that ye might haue hope agayne. 12Ye shall crie vnto me, ye shal go & call vpo me, & I shal heare you. 13Ye shal seke me, & fynde me: Yee, yf so be that ye seke me with youre whole herte, 14I will be founde of you (saieth the LORDE) and will delyuer you out of preson, & gather you together agayne out of all places, where in I haue scatred you, saieth the LORDE: and wil bringe you agayne to the same place, from whence I caused you be caried awaye captyue.

15But where as ye saye, that God hath raysed you vp prophetes at Babilon: 16Thus hath the LORDE spoken (concernynge the kinge that sytteth in the stole of Dauid, and all ye people that dwell in this cite, youre brethren that are not gone with you into captiuyte.) 17Thus (I saye) speaketh the LORDE of hoostes: Beholde, I wil sende a swearde, honger & pestilence vpon them, & wil make them like vntymely fyges, that maye not be eate for bytternes. 18And I wil persecute them with the swearde, with honger & death. I will delyuer them vp to be vexed of all kingdomes, to be cursed, abhorred, laughed to scorne, & put to confucion of all the people, amonge whom I haue scatred them: 19& that because they haue not bene obedient vnto my commaundementes, (saieth the LORDE) which I sent vnto them by my seruauntes the prophetes. I stode vp early, and sent vnto them, but they wolde not heare, saieth the LORDE. 20Heare therfore the worde of the LORDE, all ye presoners, whom I sent from Ierusale vnto Babilon:

21Thus hath the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel spoken, of Achab ye sonne of Colaias, & of Sedechias the sonne of Maasia, which prophecie lies vnto you in my name: Beholde, I wil delyuer them in to the honde of Nabuchodonosor the kinge of Babilon, that he maye slaye them before youre eyes. 22And all ye presoners of Iuda that are in Babilon, shal take vpo them this terme of cursinge, and saye: Now God do vnto the, as he dyd vnto Sedechias & Achab, whom the kinge of Babilon rosted in the fyre, 23because they synned shamefully in Israel. For they haue not onely defiled their neghbours wyues, but also preached lyenge wordes in my name, which I haue not commaunded them. This I testifie, & assure, saieth the LORDE.

The Message to Shemaiah

24But as for Semeia the Nehelamite, thou shalt speake vnto him: 25Thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: Because thou hast sealed lettres vnder thy name, vnto all the people that is at Ierusalem, & to Sophonias the sonne of Maasia the prest, yee and sent them to all the prestes: where in thou wrytest thus vnto him: 26The LORDE hath ordened the to be prest in steade of Ioiada the prest, that thou shuldest be the chefe in the house of the LORDE aboue all prophetes, & preachers, & that thou mightest put them in preson, or in ye stockes. 27How happeneth it then, that thou hast not reproued Ieremy of Anathot, which neuer leaueth of his prophecienge. 28And beside all this, he hath sent vs worde vnto Babilon, and tolde vs planely, that oure captiuyte shal longe endure: that we shulde buylde vs houses to dwell therin, & to plante vs gardens, that we might enioye the frutes therof.

29Which lettre Sophonias the prest dyd rede, and let Ieremy the prophet heare it. 30Then came the worde of the LORDE vnto Ieremy, sayenge: 31Sende worde to all them that be in captiuyte, on this maner: Thus hath the LORDE spoken concernynge Semeia ye Nehelamite: Because that Semeia hath prophecied vnto you without my commyssion, & brought you in to a false hope, 32therfore thus the LORDE doth certifie you: Beholde, I wil vyset Semeia the Nehelamite, & his sede: so that none of his shall remayne amonge this people, & none of them shall se the good, yt I will do for this people, saieth the LORDE. For he hath preached falsely of the LORDE.