We have here the text of a letter that Jeremiah sent to the exiles in Babylon. We need to remember the context of this letter. Some defeat had already taken place, much worse would soon follow. Meanwhile, Zedekiah was trying various manoeuvrings to try and avoid defeat by Babylon.
Note in verse 4 that it says "I carried .." In human terms it was the Babylonians who had carried them off, and it was because of their sin that they had been carried off, but ultimately it was the Lord who had carried them off. It was part of His judgement upon the nation.
These people are in a place they do not want to be, among a people, and subject to a people, they do not want to be among and certainly do not want to be subject to. So what are they to do?
They are to settle down and seek to live full lives there. There will come a time to leave, but until that time they should get on with life. In the same way, while we wait for Christ's return with eager anticipation, we must still live full lives here and now.
Moreover, they are to pray for the city and seek its prosperity. Remember that this was a city that had already defeated Jerusalem and was about to inflict worse. The people are not to listen to the false prophets. False prophecy is a very dangerous thing and can have very destructive effects.
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