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Jeremiah 29 · Grade 5

Hope for Exiles

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Read and Think

Jeremiah 29 contains a letter sent from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and people exiled to Babylon. God's counsel was patient faithfulness. Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Ordinary life, family, and work were to continue in a foreign land.

The most radical instruction concerned Babylon itself. Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you will have peace. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, which means wholeness and well-being. God's people were to be a blessing even to their captors. Meanwhile prophets in Babylon promised a quick end to exile, and one of them, Shemaiah, even wrote to Jerusalem demanding that Jeremiah be silenced.

The famous promise of verse 11 must be read in this setting. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. It was spoken to a whole community facing seventy years of exile, many of whom would not live to see the return. God's plan was good, but it did not bypass hardship. The promise was tied to relationship. You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

Show What You Know

  1. What did God tell the exiles to seek?

  2. What does the word shalom mean?

  3. Who wrote to Jerusalem demanding that Jeremiah be silenced?

  4. How does the setting shape the meaning of verse 11?

Crossword

43215

Across

  1. To give you ____ and a future.
  2. Yahweh has raised us up prophets in ____.
  3. Build ____ and dwell in them.

Down

  1. For in its ____ you will have peace.
  2. Because he has ____ to us in Babylon.

Think About It

  1. How can believers seek the good of a place where they feel like outsiders?

  2. Why is it important to read a promise like 29:11 in its setting?

Memory Verse

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for plans of hope. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can we bless the place where we live?
  • What helps you hope when you wait?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.