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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Jeremiah 29:6

Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Marriage;   Thompson Chain Reference - Home;   Marriage;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Government;   Inspiration;   Nation;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canon of the Old Testament;   Jehoiachin;   Nebuchadnezzar;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Apocrypha;   Future Hope;   Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Hilkiah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Zedekiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bear;   Jehoiachin;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Find wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.
Hebrew Names Version
Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply you there, and don't be diminished.
King James Version
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
English Standard Version
Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
New American Standard Bible
'Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease.
New Century Version
Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and let your daughters be married so they also may have sons and daughters. Have many children in Babylon; don't become fewer in number.
Amplified Bible
'Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease [in number].
World English Bible
Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply you there, and don't be diminished.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Take you wiues, and beget sonnes and daughters, and take wiues for your sonnes, and giue your daughters to husbands, that they may beare sonnes and daughters, that ye may bee increased there, and not diminished.
Legacy Standard Bible
Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.
Berean Standard Bible
Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease.
Contemporary English Version
Get married and have children, then help your sons find wives and help your daughters find husbands, so they can have children as well. I want your numbers to grow, not to get smaller.
Complete Jewish Bible
Choose women to marry, and have sons and daughters. Choose wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage to men, so that they can have sons and daughters — increase your numbers there, don't decrease.
Darby Translation
Take wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and be not diminished.
Easy-to-Read Version
Get married and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and let your daughters be married. Do this so that they also may have sons and daughters. Have many children and grow in number in Babylon. Don't become fewer in number.
George Lamsa Translation
Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and not decrease.
Good News Translation
Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease.
Lexham English Bible
Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take for your sons wives, and give your daughters to men that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and you must not be few.
Literal Translation
Take wives, and father sons and daughters. And take wives for your sons; and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and do not become few.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
take you wyues, to beare you sonnes and doughters: prouyde wyues for youre sonnes, & hu?bondes for youre doughters: that they maye get sonnes & doughters, and that ye maye multiplie there. Laboure not to be fewe,
American Standard Version
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters: and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
Bible in Basic English
Take wives and have sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may have sons and daughters; and be increased in number there and do not become less.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
King James Version (1611)
Take ye wiues, and beget sonnes and daughters, and take wiues for your sonnes, and giue your daughters to husbands, that they may beare sonnes and daughters, that ye may bee increased there, and not diminished.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take you wiues to beare you sonnes and daughters, prouide wiues for your sonnes, and husbandes for your daughters, that they may get sonnes & daughters: and that ye may multiplie there, and decrease not.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
How long wilt thou smite, O sword of the Lord? how long will it be ere thou art quiet? return into thy sheath, rest, and be removed.
English Revised Version
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
take ye wyues, and gendre ye sones and douytris, and yyue ye wyues to youre sones, and yyue ye youre douytris to hosebondis, and bere thei sones and douytris; and be ye multiplied there, and nyle ye be fewe in noumbre.
Update Bible Version
Take wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and don't be diminished.
Webster's Bible Translation
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
New English Translation
Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters to get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away.
New King James Version
Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished.
New Life Bible
Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters. And take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may give birth to sons and daughters. Become many there, and do not let your number become less.
New Revised Standard
Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Take ye wives and beget sons and daughters, And take wives, for your sons, and, your daughters, give ye to husbands, That they may bear sons and daughters, - And so become ye many there and do not become few;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters: and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters: and be ye multiplied there, and be not few in number.
Revised Standard Version
Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
Young's Literal Translation
Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take for your sons wives, and your daughters give to husbands, and they bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and ye are not few;
THE MESSAGE
"Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you'll thrive in that country and not waste away.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

Contextual Overview

1 Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. 2 This was after King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the court officials, the other officials of Judah, and all the craftsmen and artisans had been deported from Jerusalem. 3 He sent the letter with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah when they went to Babylon as King Zedekiah's ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar. This is what Jeremiah's letter said: 4 This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 "Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Take ye: Jeremiah 16:2-4, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:7, 1 Timothy 5:14

take wives: Genesis 21:21, Genesis 24:3, Genesis 24:4, Genesis 24:51, Genesis 24:60, Genesis 28:1-4, Genesis 29:19, Genesis 34:4, Judges 1:12-14, Judges 12:9, Judges 14:2, 1 Corinthians 7:36-38

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 28:26 - build

Cross-References

Genesis 37:14
"Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along," Jacob said. "Then come back and bring me a report." So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
Genesis 43:27
After greeting them, he asked, "How is your father, the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?"
Exodus 18:7
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed low and kissed him. They asked about each other's welfare and then went into Moses' tent.
1 Samuel 17:22
David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers.
1 Samuel 25:5
he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal:
2 Samuel 20:9
"How are you, my cousin?" Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters,.... That is, such as had no wives, who were either bachelors or widowers; not that they were to take wives of the Chaldeans, but of those of their own nation; for intermarriages with Heathens were forbidden them; and this they were to do, in order to propagate their posterity, and keep up a succession:

and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands; or "men" s; preserving and establishing the right of parents to give their children in marriage, and pointing to them their duty to provide suitable yoke fellows for them; and hereby is signified, that not only they, but their children after them, should continue in this state of captivity:

that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there;

and not diminished; like their ancestors in Egypt, who grew very numerous amidst all their afflictions and bondage.

s לאנשים "viris", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As the exile was God’s doing for their good, they were to make the best of their position, and acquire wealth and influence; whereas if they were always restlessly looking out for the opportunity of returning home, they would rapidly fall into poverty and dwindle away.

Jeremiah 29:7

Seek the peace of the city ... - Not only because their welfare for seventy years was bound up with that of Babylon, but because it would have degraded their whole moral nature to have lived as conspirators, banded together against the country that was for the time their home.


 
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