Jeremiah 29:4-7
“Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 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 don’t be diminished. Seek the shalom 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 writes this letter to the Jewish people who have been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar, around 597 BCE. These verses are part of a longer message encouraging them to settle down for the long haul in their new, foreign home, rather than hoping for an immediate return.
What does it mean to seek the well-being of a place, even when you did not choose to be there?