Friday, May 8

Today

Your daily scripture and discoveries.

Verse of the Day

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. {expected...: Heb. end and expectation}”

Why this matters

These words were written to Israelites in Babylonian exile — a people who had lost everything: their homeland, their temple, their freedom. Yet God speaks not despair but destiny. The promise was not for immediate rescue (exile would last 70 years) but for an assured future. It remains one of the most comforting verses for seasons of waiting, loss, and uncertainty.

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Did You Know

How long was the Babylonian exile?

The exile lasted approximately 70 years, from the first deportations under Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC to the decree of Cyrus the Great in 538 BC allowing Jews to return home — fulfilling Jeremiah's own prophecy in Jeremiah 25:11-12.

Did You Know

Who wrote this letter?

Jeremiah sent this as an actual letter to the exiles already in Babylon, advising them to settle in, plant gardens, raise families, and seek the welfare of the city — a radical call to bloom where they were planted rather than pine for rescue.