Jeremiah 29

1 Now these [are] the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;

And these ben the wordis of the book, whiche Jeremye, the profete, sente fro Jerusalem to the residues of eldere men of passyng ouer, and to the preestis, and to the profetis, and to al the puple, whom Nabugodonosor hadde ledde ouer fro Jerusalem in to Babiloyne,

2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem; )

after that Jeconye, the kyng, yede out, and the ladi, and the onest seruauntis and chast, and the princis of Juda yeden out of Jerusalem, and a sutel crafti man, and a goldsmyth of Jerusalem,

3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

in the hond of Elasa, sone of Saphan, and of Gamalie, the sone of Elchie, whiche Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, sente to Nabugodonosor, the kyng of Babiloyne, in to Babiloyne.

4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

And Jeremye seide, The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis to al the passyng ouer, which Y translatide fro Jerusalem in to Babiloyne,

5 Build ye houses, and dwell [in them; ] and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

Bilde ye housis, and enhabite, and plaunte ye orcherdis, and ete ye fruyt of tho;

6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

take ye wyues, and gendre ye sones and douytris, and yyue ye wyues to youre sones, and yyue ye youre douytris to hosebondis, and bere thei sones and douytris; and be ye multiplied there, and nyle ye be fewe in noumbre.

7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

And seke ye pees of the citees, to whiche Y made you to passe ouer; and preie ye the Lord for it, for in the pees therof schal be pees to you.

8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that [be] in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Youre profetis, that ben in the myddis of you, and youre dyuynours disseyue you not; and take ye noon heede to youre dremes, whiche ye dremen;

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

for thei profesien falsli to you in my name, and Y sente not hem, seith the Lord.

10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

For the Lord seith thes thingis, Whanne seuenti yeer bigynnen to be fillid in Babiloyne, Y schal visite you, and Y schal reise on you my good word, and Y schal brynge you ayen to this place.

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

For Y knowe the thouytis whiche Y thenke on you, seith the Lord, the thouytis of pees, and not of turment, that Y yyue to you an ende and pacience.

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

And ye schulen clepe me to help, and ye schulen go, and schulen worschipe me, and Y schal here you;

13 And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

ye schulen seke me, and ye schulen fynde, whanne ye seken me in al youre herte.

14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

And Y schal be foundun of you, seith the Lord, and Y schal brynge ayen youre caitifte, and Y schal gadere you fro alle folkis, and fro alle places, to whiche Y castide out you, seith the Lord; and Y schal make you to turne ayen fro the place, to which Y made you to passe ouer.

15 Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;

For ye seiden, The Lord schal reise profetis to vs in Babiloyne.

16 [Know] that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, [and] of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;

For the Lord seith these thingis to the kyng, that sittith on the seete of Dauid, and to al the puple, dwellere of this citee, to youre britheren, that yeden not out with you in to the passyng ouer,

17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

The Lord of oostis seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal sende among hem swerd, and hungur, and pestilence; and Y schal sette hem as yuele figis, that moun not be etun, for tho ben ful yuele.

18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:

And Y schal pursue hem in swerd, and in hungur, and in pestilence; and Y schal yyue hem in to trauelyng in alle rewmes of erthe, in to cursyng, and in to wondryng, and in to scornyng, and in to schenschipe to alle folkis, to whiche Y castide hem out.

19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending [them; ] but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.

For thei herden not my wordis, seith the Lord, which Y sente to hem bi my seruauntis, profetis, and roos bi nyyt, and sente, and ye herden not, seith the Lord.

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

Therfor al the passyng ouer, which Y sente out fro Jerusalem in to Babiloyne, here ye the word of the Lord.

21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;

The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis to Achab, the sone of Chulie, and to Sedechie, the sone of Maasie, that profesien to you a leesyng in my name, Lo! Y schal bitake hem in to the hond of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and he schal smyte hem bifore youre iyen.

22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which [are] in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;

And cursyng schal be takun of hem to al the passyng ouer of Juda, which is in Babiloyne, of men seiynge, The Lord sette thee as Sedechie, and as Achab, whiche the kyng of Babiloyne friede in fier,

23 Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and [am] a witness, saith the LORD.

for thei diden foli in Israel, and diden auowtrie on the wyues of her frendis; and thei spaken a word falsli in my name, which Y comaundide not to hem; Y am iuge and witnesse, seith the Lord.

24 [Thus] shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

And thou schalt seie to Semei Neelamyte,

25 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that [are] at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, For that that thou sentist bookis in my name to al the puple, which is in Jerusalem, and to Sofony, the sone of Maasie, the preest, and to alle the prestis,

26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man [that is] mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

and seidist, The Lord yaf thee the preest for Joiada, the preest, that thou be duyk in the hous of the Lord on ech man `that is trauelid of the fend, and profesiynge, that thou sende hym in to stockis, and in to prisoun.

27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?

And now whi blamest thou not Jeremye of Anathot, that profesieth to you?

28 For therefore he sent unto us [in] Babylon, saying, This [captivity is] long: build ye houses, and dwell [in them; ] and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

For on this thing he sente to vs in to Babiloyne, and seide, It is long; bielde ye housis, and enhabite, and plaunte ye orcherdis, and ete ye the fruit of tho.

29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

Therfor Sofonye, the preest, redde this book in the eeris of Jeremye, the prophete.

30 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

And the word of the Lord was maad to Jeremye,

31 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:

and seide, Sende thou to al the passyng ouer, and seie, The Lord seith these thingis to Semeye Neelamite, For that that Semeye profesiede to you, and Y sente not hym, and he made you to triste in a leesyng;

32 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.

therfor the Lord seith thes thingis, Lo! Y schal visite on Semeye Neelamyte, and on his seed; and no man sittynge in the myddis of this puple schal be to hym; and he schal not se the good, which Y schal do to my puple, seith the Lord, for he spak trespassyng ayens the Lord.