32 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah had ruled Judah for ten years. At that time, King Nebuchadnezzar had ruled in Babylon for 18 years. 2 Nebuchadnezzar's army had made their camp all around Jerusalem. Jeremiah was a prisoner in the city. Guards kept him in a yard of the palace of the king of Judah. [ a ]
3 King Zedekiah had put Jeremiah in prison there. He did not like the messages from God that Jeremiah was speaking. He said to Jeremiah, ‘You should stop saying these things! Do not continue to say, “The Lord will put this city under the power of the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon will take the city for himself. 4 Zedekiah, king of Judah, will not escape from Babylon's army. They will take him to the king of Babylon. Zedekiah will have to stand in front of the king of Babylon and answer his questions. 5 They will take Zedekiah away to Babylon as their prisoner. He will stay there until the Lord has punished him completely. If you continue to fight against Babylon's army, you will never win.” ’ That was the Lord 's message that Jeremiah had told Zedekiah.
6 While Jeremiah was in prison, the Lord said to him, 7 ‘Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to visit you. He will say to you, “I want you to buy my field in Anathoth. The law says that I should offer it to you first, because you are my relative.” ’
8 This happened as the Lord had said it would happen. My cousin Hanamel came to visit me in the prison. He said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin's tribe. I offer it to you first, as my relative. So you can buy it for yourself.’
When this happened, I realized I had really heard the Lord 's message. 9 So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed 17 shekels of silver to pay him for it. 10 I wrote my name on a piece of paper to show that I had bought the land. Some men watched as I did this, to agree to the sale. I closed the paper with a seal. [ b ] Then I gave Hanamel the silver that I had weighed. 11 I took the paper with the seal, and also a copy of it that had no seal. The agreement about the sale of land was written on those pieces of paper. 12 I gave both pieces of paper to Baruch, the son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. Hanamel watched me as I did this, as well as the men who had written their names on the paper. The people of Judah who were there in the guards' yard also watched me.
13 While all those people listened, I said to Baruch, 14 ‘The Lord Almighty, Israel's God says, “Take these two pieces of paper that have the agreement about the sale of land. Take the piece that has a seal on it and the piece without a seal. Put them both in a clay jar to keep them safe for a long time.” 15 The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says, “A time will come when people in this land again buy houses, fields and vineyards.” ’
16 After I had given Baruch the pieces of paper about the sale of land, I prayed to the Lord .
17 I said, ‘ Lord God, you used your great power and strength to make the earth and the sky. Nothing is too difficult for you to do. 18 You show your faithful love to thousands of people. But you also punish people for the sins that their ancestors did in past times. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord Almighty.
19 You have wise thoughts and you do great things. You see everything that people do. You see how they live. You give everyone what they deserve. 20 You did powerful miracles in Egypt, and we still remember them today. In this way you continue to be famous in Israel and everywhere in the world. 21 You used your great power and strength to bring your people out of Egypt. You did miracles that showed your power. It caused the Egyptians to be very afraid. 22 You gave this land to the Israelites, as you had promised to their ancestors. It was a land where there was plenty of food and drink, enough for everyone. 23 Your people moved in to the land and they made it their home. But they did not obey you. They did not live in the way that your law taught them. They did not do the things that you commanded them to do. Because of that, you caused them to have all this terrible trouble.
24 Babylon's army have already put heaps of earth around the city's walls. They are ready to attack us. War, famine and disease will soon kill us. Babylon's soldiers will come into the city and take it for themselves. Lord , you warned us that this would happen. Now you can see that it is already happening. 25 I know that Babylon's army will soon get power over the city. But you still told me to use my silver to buy that field. And people watched me write my name on the paper.’
26 Then the Lord said to Jeremiah, 27 ‘I am the Lord , the God who rules all people. Nothing is too difficult for me to do. 28 So I, the Lord , tell you this: I will certainly give this city to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army. They will get power over it. 29 The soldiers from Babylon who are attacking the city will come in. They will destroy it with fire. They will burn down the houses of the people. These people have made me angry. They went up on the roofs of their houses and they burned incense to worship Baal. They also poured out drink offerings to other false gods.
30 The people of Israel and Judah have continued to do things that I see are evil. They have done those things since they were a young nation. They have always done things that make me angry. That is what the Lord says.
31 The people of this city have made me very angry from the time when they built it, even until now. Because of that, I have decided to destroy it completely. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have made me angry because of all the wicked things that they have done. Their kings, officers, priests and prophets have all done wicked things. I will destroy this city because of the wicked things that the people of Jerusalem and all of Judah have done. 33 They should have come to me for help, but instead they turned away from me. Many times I taught them what was right. But they would not listen to me when I warned them. 34 They put their disgusting idols in the temple. I chose that place to be my special home, but they have made it unclean. 35 They have built altars in Ben-Hinnom valley to worship Baal. On those altars, they light fires to burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to Molech. I never commanded them to do that. I never even thought about it. It has caused Judah's people to be guilty of sin.
36 You are right to say, “War, famine and disease will cause the king of Babylon to get power over this city.” But I, the Lord , Israel's God, tell you this: 37 I will certainly bring my people back from the foreign countries where I will send them. I will send them away as prisoners because they have made me very angry. But I will bring them back to this place so that they can live here safely. 38 They will be my people and I will be their God. 39 I will make them all want to do one thing. They will want to live in a way that always pleases me. They will do that so that they enjoy good lives and their children also enjoy good lives after them. 40 I will make a covenant with them that will continue for ever. I will promise always to do good things for them. They will want to respect me and obey me so that they never turn away from me again. That is what I will do for them. 41 I will be happy to help them with good things. I promise them faithfully that I will put them in this land again. They will grow like strong plants.’
42 The Lord says this: ‘It is true that I have brought terrible trouble to this people. But in the same way, I will give them all the good things that I have promised. 43 At this time, you are saying, “Babylon's army will take power over our land. It will become like a desert. No people or animals will live in it.” But I tell you that one day people will again buy and sell fields in this land. 44 They will pay silver to buy fields. There will be pieces of paper that show the agreement for the sale. There will be seals on those papers. People will watch and agree that the sale has happened. People will buy fields in the land that belongs to Benjamin's tribe and in the villages round Jerusalem. They will buy land in the towns of Judah, in the hill country, in the low hills in the west and in the Negev region in the south. At that time, I will bring my people back to live safely in their land. I, the Lord , promise that this will happen!’
32 This is the message from the Lord that came to Jeremiah during the tenth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. [ a ] The tenth year of Zedekiah was the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was surrounding the city of Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was under arrest in the courtyard of the guard. This courtyard was at the palace of the king of Judah. 3 King Zedekiah of Judah had put Jeremiah in prison in that place. Zedekiah didn’t like the things Jeremiah prophesied. Jeremiah had said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon give the city of Jerusalem to the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar will capture this city. 4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the army of the Babylonians. But he will surely be given to the king of Babylon. And Zedekiah will speak to the king of Babylon face to face. He will see him with his own eyes. 5 The king of Babylon will take Zedekiah to Babylon. Zedekiah will stay there until I have punished him.’ This message is from the Lord . ‘If you fight against the army of the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”
6 While Jeremiah was a prisoner, he said, “This message from the Lord came to me. This was the message: 7 ‘Jeremiah, your cousin, Hanamel, will come to you soon. He is the son of your uncle Shallum. Hanamel will say to you, “Jeremiah, buy my field near the town of Anathoth. Buy it because you are my nearest relative. It is your right and your responsibility to buy that field.”’
8 “Then it happened just as the Lord said. My cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard. Hanamel said to me, ‘Jeremiah, buy my field near the town of Anathoth, in the land of the tribe of Benjamin. Buy that land for yourself because it is your right to buy it and own it.’”
So I knew that this was a message from the Lord . 9 I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out 17 shekels [ b ] of silver for him. 10 I signed the deed and had a copy of the deed sealed up. [ c ] I got some men to witness what I had done, and I weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took the sealed copy of the deed, which contained the demands and limits of my purchase, and the copy that was not sealed. 12 I gave the deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I did this while my cousin Hanamel and the other witnesses were there. They also signed the deed. There were also many people of Judah sitting in the courtyard who saw me give the deed to Baruch.
13 With all the people watching, I said to Baruch, 14 “This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take both copies of the deed—the sealed copy and the copy that was not sealed—and put them in a clay jar. Do this so that these deeds will last a long time.’ 15 The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says, ‘In the future my people will once again buy houses, fields, and vineyards in the land of Israel.’”
16 After I gave the deed to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord :
17 “Lord God , with your great power you made the earth and the sky. There is nothing too hard for you to do. 18 You are loyal and kind to thousands of people, but you also bring punishment to children for their fathers’ sins. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord All-Powerful. 19 You plan and do great things. You see everything that people do. You give a reward to those who do good things, and you punish those who do bad things—you give them what they deserve. 20 You have been doing powerful miracles in the land of Egypt until now, in Israel and elsewhere. You are the one who made yourself as famous as you are today. 21 You used powerful miracles and brought your people Israel out of Egypt. You used your own powerful hand to do this. Your power was amazing!
22 “You gave the Israelites this land that you promised to give to their ancestors long ago. It is a very good land filled with many good things. 23 They came into this land and took it for their own. But they didn’t obey you. They didn’t follow your teachings or do what you commanded. So you made all these terrible things happen to them.
24 “And now the enemy has surrounded the city. They are building ramps so that they can get over the walls of Jerusalem and capture it. Because of war, hunger, and disease, the city of Jerusalem will fall to the Babylonian army. The Babylonians are attacking the city now. You said this would happen, and now you see it is happening.
25 “Lord God , all those bad things are happening. But now you are telling me, ‘Jeremiah, buy the field with silver and choose some men to witness the purchase.’ You are telling me this while the Babylonian army is ready to capture the city. Why should I waste my money like that?”
26 Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “Jeremiah, I am the Lord . I am the God of every person on the earth. You know that nothing is impossible for me.” 28 The Lord also said, “I will soon give the city of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army and to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The army will capture the city. 29 The Babylonian army is already attacking the city of Jerusalem. They will soon enter the city and start a fire. They will burn down this city. There are houses in this city where the people of Jerusalem made me angry by offering sacrifices to the false god Baal on the housetops. And they poured out drink offerings to other idol gods. The Babylonian army will burn down those houses. 30 I have watched the people of Israel and the people of Judah. Everything they do is evil. They have done evil things since they were young. The people of Israel have made me very angry because they worship idols that they made with their own hands.” This message is from the Lord . 31 “From the time that Jerusalem was built until now, the people of this city have made me angry. This city has made me very angry, so I must remove it from my sight. 32 I will destroy Jerusalem because of all the evil things the people of Israel and Judah have done. The people, their kings, leaders, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem have all made me angry.
33 “They should have come to me for help, but they turned their backs to me. I tried to teach them again and again, but they would not listen to me. I tried to correct them, but they would not listen. 34 They have made their idols, and I hate those idols. They put their idols in the Temple that is called by my name, so they made my Temple ‘dirty.’
35 “In the Valley of Ben Hinnom, [ d ] they built high places to the false god Baal. They built those worship places so that they could burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices. I never commanded them to do such a terrible thing. I never even thought the people of Judah would do such a terrible thing.
36 “You people are saying, ‘The king of Babylon will capture Jerusalem. He will use war, hunger, and disease to defeat this city.’ But this is what the Lord , the God of the people of Israel, says: 37 ‘I have forced the people of Israel and Judah to leave their land. I was very angry with them, but I will bring them back to this place. I will gather them from the land where I forced them to go. I will bring them back to this place. I will let them live in peace and safety. 38 The people of Israel and Judah will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them the desire to be one, united people. They will have one goal—to worship me all their lives. They and their children will want to do this.
40 “‘I will make an agreement with the people of Israel and Judah that will last forever. In this agreement I will never turn away from them. I will always be good to them. I will make them want to respect me. Then they will never turn away from me. 41 They will make me happy. I will enjoy doing good to them. And I will surely plant them in this land and make them grow. I will do this with all my heart and soul.’”
42 This is what the Lord says: “I have brought this great disaster to the people of Israel and Judah. In the same way I will bring good things to them. I promise to do good things for them. 43 You people are saying, ‘This land is an empty desert. There are no people or animals here. The Babylonian army defeated this country.’ But in the future people will once again buy fields in this land. 44 They will use their money and buy fields. They will sign and seal their agreements. They will witness the people signing their deeds. They will again buy fields in the land where the tribe of Benjamin lives, in the area around Jerusalem, in the towns of the land of Judah, in the hill country, in the western foothills, and in the area of the southern desert. This will happen because I will bring them back home.” This message is from the Lord .
32 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.
2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.
3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord , Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
4 And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord : though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.
8 So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord , and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord .
9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:
12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.
13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
14 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.
15 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.
16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord , saying,
17 Ah Lord God ! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name,
19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
20 Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;
21 And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;
22 And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
23 And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:
24 Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.
25 And thou hast said unto me, O Lord God , Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,
27 Behold, I am the Lord , the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
28 Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:
29 And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger.
30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord .
31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face,
32 Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
33 And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.
34 But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.
35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
36 And now therefore thus saith the Lord , the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:
38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
42 For thus saith the Lord ; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.
43 And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord .
32 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the ( A ) tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the ( B ) courtyard of the guard, which was at the house of the king of Judah, 3 because Zedekiah king of Judah had ( C ) imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you ( D ) prophesy, saying, ‘ ( E ) This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to ( F ) hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will take it; 4 and Zedekiah king of Judah will ( G ) not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will ( H ) speak with him [ a ] face to face and see him eye to eye. 5 Then he will ( I ) take Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” declares the Lord . “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will ( J ) not succeed”’?”
6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 7 ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, “Buy for yourself my field which is at ( K ) Anathoth, for you have the ( L ) right of redemption to buy it .”’ 8 Then my uncle’s son Hanamel came to me in the ( M ) courtyard of the guard in accordance with the word of the Lord and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at ( N ) Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the ( O ) word of the Lord .
9 “So I bought the field which was in Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and I ( P ) weighed out the silver for him, seventeen ( Q ) shekels of silver. 10 And I [ b ] ( R ) signed and ( S ) sealed the deed, and ( T ) called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the ( U ) terms and conditions and the open copy ; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to ( V ) Baruch the son of ( W ) Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, in the sight of all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13 And I commanded Baruch in their sight, saying, 14 ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, so that they may [ c ] last a long time.” 15 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “ ( X ) Houses and fields and vineyards will again be purchased in this land.”’
16 “After giving the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I ( Y ) prayed to the Lord , saying, 17 ‘ ( Z ) Oh, Lord [ d ] God ! Behold, You Yourself have ( AA ) made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! ( AB ) Nothing is too difficult for You, 18 who ( AC ) shows mercy to thousands, but ( AD ) repays the wrongdoing of fathers into the laps of their children after them, ( AE ) great and ( AF ) mighty God. The ( AG ) Lord of armies is His name; 19 ( AH ) great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose ( AI ) eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of mankind, ( AJ ) giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; 20 who has ( AK ) accomplished signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have ( AL ) made a name for Yourself, as at this day. 21 You ( AM ) brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22 and You gave them this land, which You ( AN ) swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They ( AO ) came in and took possession of it, but they ( AP ) did not obey Your voice or ( AQ ) walk in Your Law; they did not do [ e ] anything that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made ( AR ) all this disaster happen to them. 24 Behold, the ( AS ) assault ramps have reached the city to take it; and the city has been ( AT ) handed over to the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the ( AU ) sword, the famine, and the plague; and what You have spoken has ( AV ) come to pass; and behold, You see it . 25 Yet You have said to me, Lord [ f ] God , “Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses”—although the city has been handed over to the Chaldeans.’”
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the Lord , the ( AW ) God of all flesh; is anything ( AX ) too difficult for Me?” 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to ( AY ) hand this city over to the Chaldeans and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. 29 And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and ( AZ ) set this city on fire and burn it, with the ( BA ) houses where people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger. 30 For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only ( BB ) evil in My sight since their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only ( BC ) provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares the Lord . 31 “Indeed this city has been to Me a ( BD ) provocation of My anger and My wrath since the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be ( BE ) removed from My sight, 32 because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their ( BF ) kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, ( BG ) teaching again and again, they would not listen to accept discipline. 34 But they ( BH ) put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 35 They built the ( BI ) high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to make their sons and their daughters pass through the fire to ( BJ ) Molech, which I had not commanded them, nor had it [ g ] entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to mislead Judah to sin.
36 “Now therefore the Lord God of Israel says the following concerning this city of which you say, ‘It has been ( BK ) handed over to the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by plague’: 37 Behold, I am going to ( BL ) gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and ( BM ) have them live in safety. 38 They shall be ( BN ) My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will ( BO ) give them one heart and one way, so that they will fear Me always, for their own ( BP ) good and for the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an ( BQ ) everlasting covenant with them that I will ( BR ) not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will ( BS ) put the fear of Me in their hearts, so that they will not turn away from Me. 41 I will ( BT ) rejoice over them to do them good and will [ h ] faithfully ( BU ) plant them in this land with ( BV ) all My heart and all My soul. 42 For this is what the Lord says: ‘ ( BW ) Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to ( BX ) bring on them all the good that I am promising them. 43 And ( BY ) fields will be purchased in this land of which you say, “ ( BZ ) It is a desolation, without man or animal; it has been handed over to the Chaldeans.” 44 People will buy fields for money, [ i ] ( CA ) sign and seal [ j ] deeds, and call in witnesses in the ( CB ) land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the [ k ] Negev; for I will ( CC ) restore their fortunes,’ declares the Lord .”
32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth ( A ) year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth ( B ) year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging ( C ) Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined ( D ) in the courtyard of the guard ( E ) in the royal palace of Judah.
3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy ( F ) as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture ( G ) it. 4 Zedekiah ( H ) king of Judah will not escape ( I ) the Babylonians [ a ] ( J ) but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5 He will take ( K ) Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, ( L ) declares the Lord . If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’” ( M )
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, ( N ) because as nearest relative it is your right and duty ( O ) to buy it.’
8 “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field ( P ) at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’
“I knew that this was the word of the Lord ; 9 so I bought the field ( Q ) at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels [ b ] of silver. ( R ) 10 I signed and sealed the deed, ( S ) had it witnessed, ( T ) and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch ( U ) son of Neriah, ( V ) the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed ( W ) and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ ( X )
16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch ( Y ) son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord :
17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord , ( Z ) you have made the heavens and the earth ( AA ) by your great power and outstretched arm. ( AB ) Nothing is too hard ( AC ) for you. 18 You show love ( AD ) to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps ( AE ) of their children ( AF ) after them. Great and mighty God, ( AG ) whose name is the Lord Almighty, ( AH ) 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. ( AI ) Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; ( AJ ) you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. ( AK ) 20 You performed signs and wonders ( AL ) in Egypt ( AM ) and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown ( AN ) that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand ( AO ) and an outstretched arm ( AP ) and with great terror. ( AQ ) 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. ( AR ) 23 They came in and took possession ( AS ) of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; ( AT ) they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster ( AU ) on them.
24 “See how the siege ramps ( AV ) are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, ( AW ) the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said ( AX ) has happened, ( AY ) as you now see. 25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord , say to me, ‘Buy the field ( AZ ) with silver and have the transaction witnessed. ( BA ) ’”
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord , the God of all mankind. ( BB ) Is anything too hard for me? ( BC ) 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar ( BD ) king of Babylon, who will capture it. ( BE ) 29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, ( BF ) along with the houses ( BG ) where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings ( BH ) to other gods. ( BI )
30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; ( BJ ) indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger ( BK ) with what their hands have made, ( BL ) declares the Lord . 31 From the day it was built until now, this city ( BM ) has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove ( BN ) it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have provoked ( BO ) me by all the evil ( BP ) they have done—they, their kings and officials, ( BQ ) their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backs ( BR ) to me and not their faces; though I taught ( BS ) them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. ( BT ) 34 They set up their vile images ( BU ) in the house that bears my Name ( BV ) and defiled ( BW ) it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom ( BX ) to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, ( BY ) though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind ( BZ ) —that they should do such a detestable ( CA ) thing and so make Judah sin. ( CB )
36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague ( CC ) it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather ( CD ) them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger ( CE ) and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. ( CF ) 38 They will be my people, ( CG ) and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness ( CH ) of heart and action, so that they will always fear ( CI ) me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant ( CJ ) with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire ( CK ) them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. ( CL ) 41 I will rejoice ( CM ) in doing them good ( CN ) and will assuredly plant ( CO ) them in this land with all my heart and soul. ( CP )
42 “This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity ( CQ ) on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised ( CR ) them. 43 Once more fields will be bought ( CS ) in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate ( CT ) waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44 Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds ( CU ) will be signed, sealed and witnessed ( CV ) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, ( CW ) because I will restore ( CX ) their fortunes, [ c ] declares the Lord .”
