32
Jeremiah Imprisoned
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Loʀᴅ in the
Atenth 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 shut up in the
Acourt of the guard, which
was in the house of the king of Judah,
3 because Zedekiah king of Judah had
Ashut him up, saying, “Why do you
Bprophesy, saying, ‘
CThus says the Loʀᴅ, “Behold, I am about to
Dgive this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;
4 and Zedekiah king of Judah will
Anot escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will
Bspeak with him
1face to face and see him eye to eye;
5 and he will
Atake Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” declares the Loʀᴅ. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will
Bnot succeed” ’?”
6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Loʀᴅ 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
AAnathoth, for you have the
Bright of redemption to buy
it.” ’
8 “Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the
Acourt of the guard according to the word of the Loʀᴅ and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at
BAnathoth, 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
Cword of the Loʀᴅ.
9 “I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and I
Aweighed out the silver for him, seventeen
Bshekels of silver.
10 “I
1Asigned and
Bsealed the deed, and
Ccalled in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
11 “Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed
copy containing the
Aterms and conditions and the open
copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to
ABaruch the son of
BNeriah, 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, before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard.
13 “And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying,
14 ‘Thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may
1last a long time.”
15 ‘For thus says the Loʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel, “
AHouses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’
Jeremiah Prays and God Explains
16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, then I
Aprayed to the Loʀᴅ, saying,
17 ‘
AAh Lord
1Goᴅ! Behold, You have
Bmade the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
CNothing is too difficult for You,
18 who
Ashows lovingkindness to thousands, but
Brepays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O
Cgreat and
Dmighty God. The
ELoʀᴅ of hosts is His name;
19 Agreat in counsel and mighty in deed, whose
Beyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men,
Cgiving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;
20 who has
Aset signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have
Bmade a name for Yourself, as at this day.
21 ‘You
Abrought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror;
22 and gave them this land, which You
Aswore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
23 ‘They
Acame in and took possession of it, but they
Bdid not obey Your voice or
Cwalk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made
Dall this calamity come upon them.
24 ‘Behold, the
Asiege ramps have reached the city to take it; and the city is
Bgiven into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the
Csword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken has
Dcome to pass; and behold, You see
it. 25 ‘You have said to me, O Lord
1Goᴅ, “Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses”—although the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”
26 Then the word of the Loʀᴅ came to Jeremiah, saying,
27 “Behold, I am the Loʀᴅ, the
AGod of all flesh; is anything
Btoo difficult for Me?”
28 Therefore thus says the Loʀᴅ, “Behold, I am about to
Agive this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it.
29 “The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and
Aset this city on fire and burn it, with the
Bhouses where
people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.
30 “Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only
Aevil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only
Bprovoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares the Loʀᴅ.
31 “Indeed this city has been to Me
a Aprovocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be
Bremoved from before My face,
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
Akings, 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,
1Ateaching again and again, they would not listen
2and receive instruction.
34 “But they
Aput their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.
35 “They built the
Ahigh places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through
the fire to
BMolech, which I had not commanded them nor had it
1entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
36 “Now therefore thus says the Loʀᴅ God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is
Agiven into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.’
37 “Behold, I will
Agather 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
Bmake them dwell in safety.
38 “They shall be
AMy people, and I will be their God;
39 and I will
Agive them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own
Bgood and for
the good of their children after them.
40 “I will make an
Aeverlasting covenant with them that I will
Bnot turn away from them, to do them good; and I will
Cput the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
41 “I will
Arejoice over them to do them good and will
1faithfully
Bplant them in this land with
Call My heart and with all My soul.
42 “For thus says the Loʀᴅ, ‘
AJust as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to
Bbring on them all the good that I am promising them.
43 ‘
AFields will be bought in this land of which you say, “
BIt is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
44 ‘Men will buy fields for money,
1Asign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the
Bland of Benjamin, in the environs of 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
2Negev; for I will
Crestore their
3fortunes,’ declares the Loʀᴅ.”