1. This is a copy of the letter that Jeremiah sent to those who would be taken captive into Babylon by the king of Babylon, so as to prophesy to them according to the warning he had received about them from God. "Because of the sins which you have sinned before God, you will be carried away into the captivity of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
2. And so, having been taken into Babylon, you will be there many years and for a long time, even to seven generations, yet after this, I will lead you away from there with peace.
3. But now, you will see in Babylon gods of gold and of silver, and of stone and of wood, carried upon shoulders, an awful display for the peoples.
4. See to it, then, that you do not in effect become like these strangers and become afraid, so that in awe you would be carried away into their midst.
5. And so, seeing the turmoil, behind you and in front of you, as they are worshiping, say in your hearts, 'You ought to be adored, O Lord.'
6. For my angel is with you. And I myself will examine your souls.
7. For their tongue is polished by the craftsman, and they themselves are even inlaid with gold and silver, yet they are false and unable to speak.
8. And, just like a virgin who loves to decorate herself, so do they take up gold and make designs with it.
9. Their gods have crowns of certified gold upon their heads, from which the priests subtract gold and silver, and spend it on themselves.
10. Moreover, they even give from it to prostitutes, and use it to adorn kept women, and when they receive it back from the kept women, they use it to adorn their gods.