Jeremiah 29:4-7
““Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take wives, and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished. 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 shalom you will have shalom.’”
The prophet Jeremiah sent this letter to the Jewish people who had been taken into exile in Babylon after Jerusalem was captured by King Nebuchadnezzar. It was written in the early 6th century BCE, to address their situation and offer guidance for how to live in their new, foreign land.
What does it mean to seek the good of a place you never chose to be?