Jeremiah 29:31
New International Version
“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the LORD says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies,

New Living Translation
“Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies,

English Standard Version
“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie,

Berean Standard Bible
“Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,

King James Bible
Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

New King James Version
Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie—

New American Standard Bible
“Send word to all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

NASB 1995
“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

NASB 1977
“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

Legacy Standard Bible
“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

Amplified Bible
“Send [this message] to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,”

Christian Standard Bible
“Send a message to all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Send a message to all the exiles, saying: This is what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie,

American Standard Version
Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in a lie;

Contemporary English Version
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.

English Revised Version
Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in a lie;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Send this message to all the captives: 'This is what the LORD says about Shemaiah from Nehelam: Shemaiah prophesied to you, but I didn't send him. He has made you believe a lie.

International Standard Version
"Send a message to all the exiles: 'This is what the LORD says about Shemaiah from Nehelam, "Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I didn't send him, and has made you trust a lie,"

Majority Standard Bible
“Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,

NET Bible
"Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, 'The LORD has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. "Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie.

New Heart English Bible
"Send to all them of the captivity, saying, 'Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: "Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie;

Webster's Bible Translation
Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because Shemaiah hath prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

World English Bible
“Send to all of the captives, saying, ‘Yahweh says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn’t send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie,”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Send to all the expulsion, saying, Thus said YHWH concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he causes you to trust on falsehood,

Young's Literal Translation
'Send unto all the removal, saying, Thus said Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I -- I have not sent him, and he doth cause you to trust on falsehood,

Smith's Literal Translation
Send to all the captivity, saying, Thus said Jehovah to Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he will cause you to trust in falsehood:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Send to all them of the captivity, saying: Thus saith the Lord to Semeias the Nehelamite: Because Semeias hath prophesied to you, and I sent him not: and hath caused you to trust in a lie :

Catholic Public Domain Version
“Send to all those of the transmigration, saying: Thus says the Lord to Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and because he has caused you to trust in a lie:

New American Bible
Send to all the exiles: Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah, the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah prophesies to you, although I did not send him, and has led you to rely on a lie,

New Revised Standard Version
Send to all the exiles, saying, Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has led you to trust in a lie,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Send to all of them who are in captivity, saying, Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you the thing which I did not send him to prophesy and has caused you to trust in a lie;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Send to all the captivity, ‘Thus says LORD JEHOVAH to Shemaiah, the Nekhemalite, about what Shemaiah prophesied to you, which thing I did not send, and he has made you trust in falsehood
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Send to all them of the captivity, saying: Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in a lie;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Send to the captivity, saying, Thus saith the Lord concerning Samaeas the Aelamite, Since Samaeas has prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he has made you to trust in iniquity,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Shemaiah's Letter Against Jeremiah
30Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 31“Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you— though I did not send him— and has made you trust in a lie, 32this is what the LORD says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.’ ”…

Cross References
Jeremiah 23:16-17
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. / They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’

Ezekiel 13:6-9
They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message. / Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken? / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. ...

2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. / By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? / Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ...

Deuteronomy 18:20-22
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.” / You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” / When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Isaiah 30:9-11
These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s instruction. / They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions. / Get out of the way; turn off the road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. / So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Micah 3:5-7
This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: / Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. / Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

1 Kings 22:22-23
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ / So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Zechariah 13:3
And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.

Acts 20:29-30
I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.

Lamentations 2:14
The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.

Romans 16:17-18
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. / For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.


Treasury of Scripture

Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus said the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

Send.

Jeremiah 29:20
Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

because.

Jeremiah 29:9,23
For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD…

Jeremiah 14:14,15
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart…

Jeremiah 23:21
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

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Jeremiah 29
1. Jeremiah sends a letter to the captives in Babylon to be quiet there,
8. and not to believe the dreams of their prophets;
10. and that they shall return with grace after seventy years.
15. He foretells the destruction of the rest for their disobedience.
20. He shows the fearful end of Ahab and Zedekiah, two false prophets.
24. Shemaiah writes a letter against Jeremiah.
30. Jeremiah foretells his doom.














Send a message to all the exiles
This phrase begins with a directive, emphasizing the importance of communication from God to His people. The Hebrew root for "send" (שָׁלַח, shalach) implies a mission or purpose. In the historical context, the exiles were the Israelites taken captive to Babylon. This message signifies God's ongoing relationship and concern for His people, even in their displacement. It underscores the idea that God’s word reaches His people regardless of their physical location, offering hope and guidance.

This is what the LORD says
This phrase establishes divine authority. The Hebrew term for "LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, reminding the exiles of His eternal and unchanging nature. It assures them that the message is not from a human source but from the Almighty, who is faithful to His promises. This divine assurance is crucial for the exiles, reinforcing that their situation is under God's sovereign control.

concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite
Shemaiah is identified here, and the term "Nehelamite" likely refers to his place of origin or a family designation. Historically, Shemaiah was a false prophet who opposed Jeremiah. This mention serves as a warning against false teachings and emphasizes the need for discernment. It highlights the ongoing struggle between true and false prophecy, a theme prevalent throughout the book of Jeremiah.

Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you
The act of prophesying here is significant. The Hebrew root for "prophesied" (נָבָא, naba) involves speaking under divine inspiration. However, Shemaiah's prophecies were not from God, illustrating the danger of false prophets who claim divine authority. This serves as a cautionary tale for the exiles to test the spirits and remain faithful to the true word of God.

though I did not send him
This phrase underscores the falsehood of Shemaiah's claims. The repetition of the concept of sending (שָׁלַח, shalach) contrasts God's true messengers with those who act on their own accord. It highlights the importance of divine commissioning in authentic prophecy. This distinction is vital for the exiles to understand, as it helps them discern true guidance from deception.

and he has caused you to trust in a lie
The consequence of Shemaiah's false prophecy is revealed here. The Hebrew word for "lie" (שֶׁקֶר, sheker) denotes falsehood and deception. This phrase warns of the spiritual danger of misplaced trust. It serves as a reminder that believing in falsehoods can lead to spiritual and communal harm. For the exiles, this is a call to return to the truth of God's word and to place their trust solely in Him.

(31) Send to all them of the captivity.--The words imply something in the nature of another epistle to the exiles, sent, probably, like the previous one, by the hands of envoys from one government to the other. We have no record of the fulfilment of the prediction but its insertion implies its fulfilment. This frequent intercourse between Jerusalem and Babylon is noticeable (1) as confirming the literal interpretation of the journey to Euphrates in Jeremiah 13:4, and (2) as accounting for the special instructions given to Nebuzaradan by Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 39:11.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Send
שְׁלַ֤ח (šə·laḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

a message to
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the exiles:
הַגּוֹלָה֙ (hag·gō·w·lāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1473: Exile, exiles

This is what
כֹּ֚ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

concerning
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Shemaiah
שְׁמַעְיָ֖ה (šə·ma‘·yāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8098: Shemaiah -- 'Yah hears', the name of a number of Israelites

the Nehelamite.
הַנֶּחֱלָמִ֑י (han·ne·ḥĕ·lā·mî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5161: Nehelamite -- descriptive title for a false prophet

Because
יַ֡עַן (ya·‘an)
Adverb
Strong's 3282: Heed, purpose, to indicate the reason, cause

Shemaiah prophesied to you,
נִבָּ֨א (nib·bā)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5012: To prophesy, speak, by inspiration

though I
וַֽאֲנִי֙ (wa·’ă·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

did not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

send him,
שְׁלַחְתִּ֔יו (šə·laḥ·tîw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

and made you trust
וַיַּבְטַ֥ח (way·yaḇ·ṭaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 982: To trust, be confident, sure

in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

a lie,
שָֽׁקֶר׃ (šā·qer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8267: Deception, disappointment, falsehood


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 29:31 Send to all them of the captivity (Jer.)
Jeremiah 29:30
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