25Shemaiah the Nehelamite sent a letter in his name to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
26The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, to be an overseer in the house of the Lord for every man who is off his head and is acting as a prophet, to put such men in prison and in chains.
27So why have you made no protest against Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is acting as a prophet to you?
28For he has sent to us in Babylon saying, The time will be long: go on building houses and living in them, and planting gardens and using the fruit of them.
29And Zephaniah the priest made clear to Jeremiah the prophet what was said in the letter, reading it to him.
30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
