after that tyme that kynge Iechoniah, and his quene, his chamberlaynes the prynces of Iuda and Ierusalem, the workemasters of Ierusalem were departed thyther. Whiche lettre Elasah the sonne of Saphan and Ga∣mariah the sonne of Helkiah dyd beare, whom Sedechias ye kyng of Iuda sente vnto Babylon to Nabuchodonosor the kynge of Babylon. These were the wordes of Iere∣myes lettre:
Thus hathe the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israell spoken vnto all the prysoners that were ledde frome Ierusalem vnto Babylon: buylde your houses to dwell therin: plante you gardens, that ye maye enioye the frutes therof: take you wyues to beare you sonnes and doughters: prouyde wyues for youre sonnes, and husbandes for your doughters, that they maye gette sonnes and doughters, and that ye maye multiplye there. Laboure [ C] not to be fewe, but seke after peax, and pro∣speritie of the citye wherin ye be prysoners, & praye vnto God for it. For in the peax therof shall your peax be. For thus sayth the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israell: Let not those Prophetes and sothesayers that be amonge you, disceyue you: and bi••eue not your owne dreames. For why, they preacche you lyes in my name, and I haue not sente them, sayth the Lorde.
But thus sayth the Lorde: When ye haue fulfylled thre score and tenne yeres at Baby∣lon, I wyll brynge you home, and of myne owne goodnesse I wyll carye you hyther a∣gayne vnto this place. For I knowe what I haue deuysed for you, sayth the Lorde. My thoughtes are to gyue you peax, and not trou¦ble (whiche I gyue you all redye) and that ye myghte haue hope agayne. Ye shall crye vnto me, ye shall go and call vpon me, and I shall [ D] heare you. Ye shal seke me, and fynde me. Yea yf so be that ye seke me with your hole herte, I wyll be found of you (sayth the Lorde) and wil deliuer you out of pryson, and gather you togyther agayne oute of all places wherin I haue scattered you, saythe the Lorde: and wyll brynge you agayne to the same place, from whence I caused you to be caried away captyue.
But where as ye saye, that God haue ray∣sed you vp prophetes at Babylon: thus hath the Lorde spoken (concernyng the kyng that sytteth in the stole of Dauid, and all the peo¦ple that dwelle in this citie, youre brethren that are not gone with you in to captiuitie.) Thus, I saye, speaketh the Lorde of hostes: Beholde, I wil send a swerde, hongre, and pe∣stilence vpon them, and will make them lyke vntymely figges, that maye not be eaten for bitternesse. And I will persecute them with ye swerde, with hongre and deth.
I wyll delyuer them vp to be vexed of all kyngdomes, to be cursed, abhorred, laughed to scorne, and put to confusion of all the peo∣ple amonge whome I haue scattered them: and that bicause they haue not ben obedient vnto my commaundementes, saith the Lorde, whiche I sente vnto them by my seruauntes the Prophetes. I stode vp early, and sent vn∣to them, but they wolde not heare, sayth the Lorde.
Heare therfore the worde of the Lorde, [ E] all ye prysoners, whom I sent from Ierusa∣lem vnto Babylon: Thus hathe the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel spoken of Achab the sonne of Colaiah, and of Sedechias the sonne of Maasiah, which prophecye lyes vn¦to you in my name: Beholde, I wyll deliuer them in to the hand of Nabuchodonosor the kynge of Babylon, that he may slee them be∣fore youre eyes. And all the prysoners of Iu∣da that are in Babylon, shall take vpon them this terme of cursynge, and saye: Now God doo vnto the, as he dyd vnto Sedechias and Achab, whome the kynge of Babylon rosted in the fyre, bycause they synned shamefully in Israell.
For they haue not only defiled theyr neigh∣bours [ F] wyues, but also preached lyinge wor∣des in my name, which I haue not commaun¦ded them. This I testify and assure, sayth the Lorde. But as for Semeiah the Nehelamyte thou shalt speake vnto him: Thus sayth the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel: Bicause thou hast sealed letters vnder thy name, vn∣to all the people that is at Ierusalem, and to Sophoniah the sonne of Maasiah the preest: yea, and sent them to all the preestes: wherin thou wrytest thus vnto him: The Lord hath ordeined the to be preest in stede of Iorada the preest, that sholdest be the chiefe in the house of the Lorde aboue all Prophetes, and prea∣chers, and that thou myghtest put them in pryson, or in the stackes. Howe happeneth it then, that thou hast not reproued Ieremy of Anathoth, whiche neuer leaueth of his pro∣phecyinge?
And besyde all this, he hath sent vs worde vnto Babylon, and tolde vs playnely, that oure captiuitie shall longe endure: that we we sholde buylde vs houses to dwell therin, and to plante vs gardens that we maye en∣ioye the frutes therof. Whiche lettre Sopho¦niah the preest dyd rede, and let Ieremye the Prophete heare it.
Then came the worde of the Lorde vnto [ G] Ieremye, sayinge: Sende worde to all them that are in captiuitie, on this maner: Thus hath the Lorde spoken concerning Semeiah the Nehelamyte: Bycause that Semeiah hath prophecied vnto you without my com∣mission, and broughte you in to a false hope, therfore thus the Lorde dothe certifye you: Beholde, I will visyte Semeiah the Nehe∣lamyte, and his seed: so that none of his shal remayne amonges this people, and none of them shall se the good that I wil do for this people, sayth the Lorde. For he hath preached falsely of the Lorde.