24 The Lord told Jeremiah, “Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite
25 that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has a message for him. Tell him, ‘On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In your letter you said to Zephaniah,
26 “The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge in the Lord’s temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck.
27 You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you!
28 For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us, “You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.”’”
29 Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.
30 Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah.