6. Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished.
7. Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”
8. For the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are amongst you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamt.
9. For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.
10. For the Lord says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word towards you, in causing you to return to this place.
11. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.
12. You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
13. You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.
14. I will be found by you,” says the Lord, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord. I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”
15. Because you have said, “the Lord has raised us up prophets in Babylon;”
16. the Lord says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone with you into captivity;
17. the Lord of Hosts says: “Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can’t be eaten, they are so bad.