Jeremiah Buys a Field
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from theLordin the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
2 For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut upin the court of the prison, whichwasinthe king of Judah’s house.
3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do youprophesy and say, ‘Thus says theLord:“Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
4 and Zedekiah king of Judahshall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see himeye to eye;
5 then he shalllead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall beuntil I visit him,” says theLord;“though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed” ’?”
6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of theLordcame to me, saying,
7 ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field whichisin Anathoth, for theright of redemptionisyours to buyit.” ’
8 Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of theLord, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field thatisin Anathoth, whichisin the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritanceisyours, and the redemption yours; buyitfor yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of theLord.
9 So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle whowasin Anathoth, andweighedouttohim the money—seventeen shekels of silver.
10 And I signed the deed and sealedit,took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.
11 So I took the purchase deed,boththat which was sealedaccordingto the law and custom, and that which was open;
12 and I gave the purchase deed toBaruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’sson,and in the presence of thewitnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.
13 “Then I chargedBaruch before them, saying,
14 ‘Thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.”
15 For thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall bepossessed again in this land.” ’
Jeremiah Prays for Understanding
16 “Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to theLord, saying:
17 ‘Ah, LordGod! Behold,You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.There is nothing too hard for You.
18 Youshowlovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great,the Mighty God, whose nameistheLordof hosts.
19 Youaregreat in counsel and mighty in work, for Youreyesareopen to all the ways of the sons of men,to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.
20 You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and amongothermen; and You have made Yourselfa name, as it is this day.
21 Youhave brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
22 You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—“a land flowing with milk and honey.”
23 And they came in and took possession of it, butthey have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them.
24 ‘Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because ofthe sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You seeit!
25 And You have said to me, O LordGod, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses”!—yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”
God’s Assurance of the People’s Return
26 Then the word of theLordcame to Jeremiah, saying,
27 “Behold, IamtheLord, theGod of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
28 Therefore thus says theLord: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it.
29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come andset fire to this city and burn it, with the houseson whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger;
30 because the children of Israel and the children of Judahhave done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,’ says theLord.
31 ‘For this city has been to MeaprovocationofMy anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day;so I will remove it from before My face
32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests,their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
33 And they have turned to Me theback, and not the face; though I taught them,rising up early and teachingthem,yet they have not listened to receive instruction.
34 But theyset their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.
35 And they built the high places of Baal whicharein the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, tocause their sons and their daughters to pass throughthefiretoMolech,which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’
36 “Now therefore, thus says theLord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence’:
37 Behold, I willgather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause themto dwell safely.
38 They shall beMy people, and I will be their God;
39 then I willgive them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.
40 AndI will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; butI will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.
41 Yes,I will rejoice over them to do them good, andI will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’
42 “For thus says theLord:‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.
43 And fields will be bought in this landof which you say, “Itisdesolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
44 Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and sealthem,and take witnesses, inthe land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; forI will cause their captives to return,’ says theLord.”