Jeremiah Imprisoned

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. 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, 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; 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. 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”’?”

And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘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.”’ 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.

“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.”’

Jeremiah Prays and God Explains

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.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 32:4 Lit mouth with mouth
  2. Jeremiah 32:10 Lit wrote...on and
  3. Jeremiah 32:14 Lit stand many days
  4. Jeremiah 32:17 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  5. Jeremiah 32:23 Or all that
  6. Jeremiah 32:25 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  7. Jeremiah 32:35 Lit come up on My heart
  8. Jeremiah 32:41 Or truly
  9. Jeremiah 32:44 Lit write on...and
  10. Jeremiah 32:44 Lit the document
  11. Jeremiah 32:44 I.e., South country

Jeremiah Buys a Field

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. 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.

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. 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. 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)

Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 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.’

“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; 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.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43
  2. Jeremiah 32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams
  3. Jeremiah 32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity