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.
10. After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for seventy 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.
20. I had you taken from Jerusalem to Babylonia. But you had better listen to me now.