Jeremiah 32
Expanded Bible
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32 This is the word the Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the tenth year Zedekiah was king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar [C 587 bc; 52:4–5]. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was ·surrounding [besieging] Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was ·under arrest [imprisoned; confined] in the courtyard of the guard, which was at the ·palace [L house] of the king of Judah.
3 Zedekiah king of Judah had ·put Jeremiah in prison there [confined; imprisoned him]. Zedekiah had asked, “Why have you prophesied the things you have?” (Jeremiah had said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon hand this city [C Jerusalem] over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not ·escape [be rescued] from the ·Babylonian [L Chaldean] army, but he will surely be handed over to the king of Babylon. And he will speak to him [C the king of Babylon] face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5 The king will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I have punished him,’ says the Lord. ‘If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”)
6 Jeremiah said [C while still in prison], “The Lord spoke this word to me: 7 Hanamel, son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. Hanamel will say to you, ‘Buy my field near the town of Anathoth [C Jeremiah’s hometown; 1:1]. It is your right and your duty to buy that field [C because he is a near relative; Lev. 25:23–25].’
8 “Then it happened just as the Lord had said. ·My cousin [L The son of my uncle] Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said to me, ‘Buy for yourself my field near Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. It is your right and duty to buy it and own it.’ So I knew this was a ·message [L word] from the Lord.
9 “I bought the field at Anathoth from ·my cousin [L the son of my uncle] Hanamel, weighing out ·seven ounces [L seventeen shekels] of silver for him. 10 I ·signed the record [L wrote in a scroll] and sealed it and had some people witness it. I also weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took both copies of the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase]—the one that was sealed that had the demands and ·limits of ownership [terms], and the one that was ·not sealed [L exposed]. 12 And I gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah [36; 43:3, 6; 45:1–2]. My cousin Hanamel, the other witnesses who signed the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase], and many ·Jews [L Judeans] sitting in the courtyard of the guard saw me give the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase] to Baruch.
13 “·With all the people watching [L Before their eyes], I ·told [L commanded] Baruch, 14 ‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: Take both copies of the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase]—the sealed copy and the copy that was ·not sealed [L exposed]—and put them in a clay jar so they will ·last [endure; stand] ·a long time [L for many days]. 15 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: In the future my people will once again buy houses and fields and vineyards in this land [C Israel].’
16 “After I gave the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase] to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, 17 Oh, Lord God, you made the ·skies [heavens] and the earth with your very great power [Gen. 1] and ·strength [L outstretched arm]. There is nothing too hard for you to do [Ex. 3:20; Job 9:10; 37:5; Mic. 7:15]. 18 You show ·love and kindness [loyalty] to thousands of people, but you also ·bring punishment to children for their parents’ sins [L repay the iniquities of the fathers to the laps of their children after them; Ex. 34:7; Deut. 5:9–10]. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 19 You ·plan [are great in counsel] and ·do great things [mighty in deeds]. ·You see everything that people do [L Your eyes are open to all the ways/paths of people], and you ·reward people for the way they live and for what they do [L give to each according to his way and according to the fruit of his deeds]. 20 You did ·miracles [signs] and wonderful things in the land of Egypt [Ex. 7–15]. You have continued doing them in Israel and among the other nations even until today. So you have ·become well known [L made yourself a name]. 21 You brought your people, the Israelites, out of Egypt using signs and miracles and your ·great power [L strong hand] and ·strength [L outstretched arm]. You brought great terror on everyone. 22 You gave them this land that you promised to their ·ancestors [fathers] long ago, a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; Gen. 12:1–3]. 23 They came into this land and ·took it for their own [possessed it], but they did not ·obey you [L listen to your voice] or follow your ·teachings [laws; instructions]. They did not do everything you commanded. So you made all these terrible things happen to them.
24 “Look! The ·enemy has surrounded the city and has built roads to the top of the walls [L siege ramps have come to the city] to capture it. Because of ·war [L sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence], the city will be handed over to the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans] who are attacking it. You said this would happen, and now you see it is happening. 25 But now, Lord God, you tell me, ‘Buy the field with silver and call in witnesses.’ You tell me this while the ·Babylonian army is ready to capture the city [L city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans].”
26 Then the Lord spoke this word to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of ·every person on the earth [L all flesh]. ·Nothing is impossible [L Is anything too hard…?] for me. 28 So this is what the Lord says: I ·will soon hand over the city of Jerusalem to [L am giving this city into the hand of] the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] and ·to [L into the hand of] Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 29 The ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] is already attacking this city [C Jerusalem]. They will soon enter it and start a fire to burn down the city and its houses. The people of Jerusalem ·offered sacrifices [or burned incense] to Baal [C the chief God of the Canaanites] on the roofs [C flat roofs were living space] of those same houses and poured out drink offerings to other idols to make me angry. 30 From their youth, the ·people [L sons] of Israel and Judah have done only ·the things I said were wrong [L evil] in my eyes. They have made me angry by ·worshiping idols made with [L the works of] their own hands,” says the Lord. 31 “From the day this city was built until now, this city has made me angry, so angry that I must remove it from ·my sight [before me]. 32 I will destroy it, because of all the evil the ·people [L sons] of Israel and Judah have done. The people, their kings and officers, their priests and prophets, all the people of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem have made me angry. 33 They turned their backs to me, not their faces. I tried to teach them again and again, but they wouldn’t listen or ·learn [L receive instruction/discipline]. 34 They put their ·hateful idols [abominations] in the ·place where I have chosen to be worshiped [L house called by my name], so they made it unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 35 In the Valley of Ben Hinnom they built ·places to worship [L high places of; C sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God] Baal so they could ·burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices [L make their sons and daughters pass through (the fire)] to Molech. But I never commanded them to do such a ·hateful thing [abomination]. It never entered my ·mind [heart] that they would do such a thing and cause Judah to sin [7:30–34; 19:1–6].
36 “You are saying, ‘Because of ·war [L sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence], the city will be handed over to the king of Babylon.’ But the Lord, the God of Israel, says about this city [C Jerusalem]: 37 I ·forced them [drove them out] from their land, because I was furious and very angry with them. But soon I will gather them from all the lands where I ·forced them to go [drove them out], and I will ·bring them back [restore them] to this place, where they may live in ·safety [confidence]. 38 They [C people of Israel and Judah] will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will ·make them truly want to be one people with one goal [L give them one heart and one way/path]. They will truly want to ·worship [L fear] me all their ·lives [L days], for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
40 “I will ·make [L cut] an ·agreement with them that will last forever [L eternal covenant with them; 31:31–34; Is. 55:3; 61:8; Ezek. 16:60; 37:27]. I will never turn away from them; I will always do good to them. I will ·make them want to respect me [L place my fear in their hearts] so they will never ·turn away [depart] from me. 41 I will enjoy doing good to them. And with ·my whole being [L all my heart and all my soul] I will ·surely [L in faithfulness] plant them in this land.”
42 This is what the Lord says: “I have brought this great ·disaster [harm; trouble] to this people [C the people of Israel and Judah]. In the same way I will bring the good things that I promise to do for them. 43 You are saying, ‘This land is an ·empty desert [desolation], without people or animals. It has been handed over to the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans].’ But in the future, people will again buy fields in this land. 44 They will use their ·money [silver] to buy fields. They will ·sign [L write] and seal their ·agreements [scrolls] and call in witnesses. They will again buy fields in the land of Benjamin, in the area around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the mountains, in the ·western hills [L Shephelah], and in ·southern Judah [L the Negev]. I will ·make everything as good for them as it once was [restore their fortunes],” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 32
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jeremiah Buys a Field During the Siege
32 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,(A) 3 where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;(B) 4 King Zedekiah of Judah shall not escape out of the hands of the Chaldeans but shall surely be given into the hands of the king of Babylon and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye,(C) 5 and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I attend to him, says the Lord; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?”(D)
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ ”(E) 8 Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
9 And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out the silver to him, seventeen shekels of silver.(F) 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the silver on scales.(G) 11 Then I took the sealed deed of purchase containing the terms and conditions and the open copy,(H) 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin[a] Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard.(I) 13 In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”(J)
Jeremiah Prays for Understanding
16 After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 17 “Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.(K) 18 You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the Lord of hosts,(L) 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings.(M) 20 You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and to this day in Israel and among all humankind and have made yourself a name that continues to this very day.(N) 21 You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror,(O) 22 and you gave them this land, which you swore to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey,(P) 23 and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or follow your laws; of all you commanded them to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters come upon them.(Q) 24 See, the siege ramps have been cast up against the city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yourself can see.(R) 25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for silver and get witnesses,’ though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.”
God’s Assurance of the People’s Return
26 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 See, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me?(S) 28 Therefore, thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall take it.(T) 29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come, set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and libations have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger.(U) 30 For the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; the people of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, says the Lord.(V) 31 This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built until this day, so that I will remove it from my sight(W) 32 because of all the evil of the people of Israel and the people of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(X) 33 They have turned their backs to me, not their faces; though I have taught them persistently, they would not listen and accept correction.(Y) 34 They set up their abominations in the house that bears my name and defiled it.(Z) 35 They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter my mind that they should do this abomination, causing Judah to sin.(AA)
36 Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, “It is being given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence”: 37 See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety.(AB) 38 They shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them.(AC) 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them, and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.(AD)
42 For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good fortune that I now promise them.(AE) 43 Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, “It is a desolation, without humans or animals; it has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” 44 Fields shall be bought for silver, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, of the hill country, of the Shephelah, and of the Negeb, for I will restore their fortunes, says the Lord.(AF)
Jeremiah 32
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
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 [a]Nebuchadrezzar.
2 For the king of Babylon’s army was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah.
3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had locked him up, saying, Why do you prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving 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 hands 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 him eye to eye;
5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him [for evil], says the Lord; and though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not prosper [why do you thus prophesy]?(A)
6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
7 Behold, Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle shall come to you and say, Buy my field that is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.
8 So Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard in accordance with the word of the Lord, and he said to me, I pray you, buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin, for the right of inheritance is yours and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
9 And I bought the field that was in Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son and weighed out for him the money—seventeen shekels of silver.
10 And I signed the deed and sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed out for him the money on the scales.
11 So I took the deed of the purchase—both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and the copy which was unsealed—
12 And I gave the purchase deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, in the presence of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard.
13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
14 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this unsealed deed, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last a long time.
15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall be purchased yet again in this land.
16 Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying:
17 Alas, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too hard or too wonderful for You—
18 You Who show loving-kindness to thousands but recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosoms of their children after them. The great, the mighty God; the Lord of hosts is His name—
19 Great [are You] in counsel and mighty in deeds, Whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to reward or repay each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings,
20 Who wrought signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day [continues to do so], both in Israel and among other men, and made for Yourself a name, as at this day.
21 And You brought forth Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm and with great terror;
22 And You gave them this land which You swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;
23 And they entered and took possession of it, but they obeyed not Your voice, nor walked in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do. Therefore You have caused all this evil to come upon them.
24 See the siege mounds [of earth which the foe has heaped against the walls]; they have come up to the city to take it. And the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because [the people are overcome] by the sword and the famine and the pestilence. What You have spoken has come to pass, and behold, You see it.
25 Yet, O Lord God, You said to me, Buy the field with money and get witnesses, even though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.
26 Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying,
27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?
28 Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
29 And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come in and set this city on fire and burn it, along with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to provoke Me to anger.(B)
30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked Me to anger with the work of their hands [the idols], says the Lord.
31 For this city has been to Me a [such a] provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they [finished] building it [in the time of Solomon, who was the first Israelite king who turned to idolatry] even to this day that I must remove it from before My face—(C)
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, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
33 And they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces; though I taught them persistently, yet they would not listen and receive instruction.
34 But they set their abominations [of idol worship] in the house which is called by My [b]Name to defile it.
35 And they built the high places [for worship] of Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom [son of Hinnom] to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire [in worship also of and] to Molech—which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind or heart that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.(D)
36 And now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword and by famine and by pestilence:
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries to which I drove them in My anger and in My wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them again to this place, and I will make them dwell safely.
38 And they will be My people, and I will be their God.
39 And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever for the good of themselves and of their children after them.
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will not turn away from following them to do them good, and I will put My [reverential] fear in their hearts, so that they will not depart from Me.(E)
41 Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly and in truth with My whole heart and with My whole being.
42 For thus says the Lord: 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 of which you say, It is desolate, without man or beast; it is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.
44 Men shall buy fields for money and shall sign deeds, seal them, and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the places around 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 South (the Negeb), for I will cause them to be released from their exile, says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 32:1 See footnote on Jer. 21:2.
- Jeremiah 32:34 See footnote on Deut. 12:5.
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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