2. (This was after King Jehoiakin and his mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and metal workers left Jerusalem.)
3. He sent the letter with Shaphan’s son Elasah and Hilkiah’s son Gemariah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. The letter said:
4. This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all those who were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5. Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what they produce.