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. 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.”’

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.”

Restoration Promised

33 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still ^(A)confined in the courtyard of the guard, saying, ² “This is what ^(B)the Lord says, He who made ^[a]the earth, the Lord who formed it to create it, He whose name is the ^(C)Lord: ³ ‘^(D)Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you ^(E)great and ^[b]mighty things, ^(F)which you do not know.’ ⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says concerning the ^(G)houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a defense against the ^(H)assault ramps and the sword: ⁵ ‘While they are coming to ^(I)fight the Chaldeans and to fill ^[c]their houses with the bodies of people whom I have struck down in My anger and My wrath, and I have ^(J)hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness: ⁶ Behold, I am going to bring to it ^(K)healing and a remedy, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an ^(L)abundance of peace and truth. ⁷ And I will ^(M)restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and will ^(N)rebuild them as they were at first. ⁸ And I will ^(O)cleanse them from all their wrongdoing by which they have sinned against Me, and I will forgive all their wrongdoings by which they have sinned against Me and revolted against Me. ^9 [d]It will be to Me a ^(P)name of joy, praise, and glory before ^(Q)all the nations of the earth, which will hear of all the ^(R)good that I do for them, and they will be ^(S)frightened and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’

¹⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a ^(T)waste, without man and without animal,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are ^(U)deserted, without man and without inhabitant and without animal, ¹¹ the voice of ^(V)joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,

as they bring a ^(X)thanksgiving offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.

¹² “This is what the Lord of armies says: ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, ^(Y)without man or animal, and in all its cities, a pasture for shepherds who rest their ^(Z)flocks. ¹³ In the ^(AA)cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again ^(AB)pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

The Davidic Kingdom

¹⁴ ‘Behold, ^(AC)days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will ^(AD)fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will make a ^(AE)righteous Branch of David sprout; and He shall execute ^(AF)justice and righteousness on the earth. ¹⁶ In those days ^(AG)Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety; and this is the name by which it will be called: the ^(AH)Lord is our righteousness.’ ¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘^[e]David shall ^(AI)not lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; ^18 [f]and the ^(AJ)Levitical priests shall not lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to ^(AK)prepare sacrifices ^[g]continually.’”

¹⁹ And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can ^(AL)break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night do not occur at their proper time, ²¹ then ^(AM)My covenant with David My servant may also be broken, so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. ²² As the ^(AN)heavenly ^[h]lights cannot be counted, and the ^(AO)sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will ^(AP)multiply the ^[i]descendants of My servant David and the ^(AQ)Levites who serve Me.’”

²³ And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁴ “Have you not observed what these people have asserted, saying, ‘The ^(AR)two families which the Lord chose, He has ^(AS)rejected them’? So they ^(AT)despise My people as no longer being a nation ^[j]in their sight. ²⁵ This is what the Lord says: ‘If My ^(AU)covenant for day and night does not continue, and I have ^(AV)not established the ^[k]fixed patterns of heaven and earth, ²⁶ then I would ^(AW)reject the ^[l]descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so as not to take from his ^[m]descendants ^(AX)rulers over the ^[n]descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will ^(AY)restore their fortunes and have ^(AZ)mercy on them.’”

A Prophecy against Zedekiah

34 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when ^(A)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, with ^(B)all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his ^[a]control and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities, saying, ² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘^(C)Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, ^(D)I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and ^(E)he will burn it with fire. ³ And as for you, ^(F)you will not escape from his hand, for you will assuredly be caught and handed over to him; and you will ^(G)see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you ^[b]face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’”’ ⁴ Yet hear the word of the Lord, Zedekiah king of Judah! This is what the Lord says concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword. ⁵ You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will ^(H)burn spices for you; and ^(I)they will mourn for you, crying, “Oh, my lord!”’ For I have spoken the word,” declares the Lord.

⁶ Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke ^(J)all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem ⁷ when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah, that is, ^(K)Lachish and ^(L)Azekah, for they alone remained as ^(M)fortified cities among the cities of Judah.

⁸ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had ^(N)made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to ^(O)proclaim ^[c]release to them: ⁹ that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, a ^(P)Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, so that ^(Q)no one would keep them, his Jewish brother or sister, in bondage. ¹⁰ And all the ^(R)officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, so that no one would keep them in bondage any longer; they obeyed, and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male servants and as female servants.

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ¹³ “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I ^(S)made a covenant with your forefathers on the day that I ^(T)brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying, ¹⁴ “^(U)At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who ^[d]has been sold to you and has served you for six years, and you shall send him out free from you.” But your forefathers ^(V)did not obey Me nor incline their ear to Me. ¹⁵ Although recently you had turned and ^(W)done what is right in My sight, each one proclaiming ^[e]release to his neighbor, and you had ^(X)made a covenant before Me ^(Y)in the house which is called by My name. ¹⁶ Yet you ^(Z)turned and ^(AA)profaned My name, and each person ^[f]took back his male servant and each his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male and female servants.’

¹⁷ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming ^[g]release, each one to his brother and each to his neighbor. Behold, I am ^(AB)proclaiming a ^[h]release to you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to the ^(AC)sword, to the plague, and to the famine; and I will make you a ^(AD)terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. ¹⁸ I will give the people who have ^(AE)violated My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they ^(AF)cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— ¹⁹ the ^(AG)officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the high officials and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— ²⁰ I will hand them over to their enemies and to those who ^(AH)seek their lives. And their ^(AI)dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. ^21 (AJ)Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will also hand over to their enemies and to those who seek their lives, and to the army of the king of Babylon which has ^(AK)withdrawn from you. ²² Behold, I am going to give a command,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and ^(AL)take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a ^(AM)desolation ^(AN)without inhabitant.’”