Armiya 29
Now these are the words of the letter that Armiya the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2(after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the blacksmiths, were departed from Jerusalem,) 3by the hand of Elasah Ibn Shaphan, and Gemariah Ibn Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,) saying, 4Thus says Allah, Lord of the universe, the God of Israel, to all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build yourselves houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 6Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply you there, and do not be diminished. 7Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Allah for it; for in its peace you shall have peace. 8For thus says Allah, Lord of the universe, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who are among you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name: I have not sent them, says Allah. 10For thus says Allah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Allah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end. 12You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. 14I will be found of you, says Allah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places wither I have driven you, says Allah; and I will bring you again to the place where I caused you to be carried away captive. 15Because you have said, Allah has raised us up prophets in Babylon; 16thus says Allah concerning the king who sits on the throne of Dawud, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who have not gone forth with you into captivity; 17thus says Allah, Lord of the universe; Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations where I have driven them; 19because they have not listened to my words, says Allah, with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear, says Allah. 20Hear therefore the word of Allah, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21Thus says Allah, Lord of the universe, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab Ibn Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah Ibn Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall kill them before your eyes; 22and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, Allah make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; 23because they have worked folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am he who knows, and am witness, says Allah. 24Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, 25Thus speaks Allah, Lord of the universe, the God of Israel, saying, Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah Ibn Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26Allah has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of Allah, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles. 27Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Armiya of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you, 28because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long: build yourselves houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them? 29Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Armiya the prophet. 30Then came the word of Allah to Armiya, saying, 31Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus says Allah 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; 32therefore thus says Allah, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he see the good that I will do to my people, says Allah, because he has spoken rebellion against Allah.