“For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.”
The quotation of the message Jeremiah presumably sent—'It will be long; build houses and settle; plant gardens and eat their produce'—directly presents the central claim that the exiles should embrace long exile rather than resist it. The repeated content from earlier in the chapter confirms the letter's message and establishes that Shemaiah's complaint was based on accurate reporting of what Jeremiah had written. This verse allows readers to see Jeremiah's controversial instruction through the lens of his critics.
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