Beginning
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah the king of Judah, that was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was laying siege to Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3 where Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had confined him, saying,[a] “Why are you prophesying, saying,[b] ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it, 4 and Zedekiah, the king of Judah, will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but surely he will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak face to face with him[c] and he will see him eye to eye,[d] 5 and to Babylon he will bring Zedekiah, and there he will be until my attending to him,” declares[e] Yahweh. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not be successful”’?”
6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,[f] 7 ‘Look, Hanamel, the son of Shallum, your uncle, is going to come to you, saying,[g] “Buy for yourself my field that is at Anathoth, for you have[h] the right of redemption to buy it.”’[i] 8 Then Hanamel, the son of my uncle, came to me, to the courtyard of the guard according to[j] the word of Yahweh, and he said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is at Anathoth, that is in the land of Benjamin, for to you is the claim of possession, and to you the redemption; buy it[k] for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of Yahweh.
9 And I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle, that was at Anathoth. And I weighed out to him the money, seventeen silver shekels. 10 And I signed on the letter[l] and sealed it,[m] and I called witnesses as witness, and I weighed out the money on a set of scales. 11 Then I took the deed[n] of the purchase, the sealed copy containing the commandments[o] and the rules, together with the one that was open. 12 And I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of[p] Hanamel, the son of my uncle, and in the presence of[q] the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, in the presence of[r] the Judeans[s] who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13 And I commanded Baruch in their presence,[t] saying,[u] 14 ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds,[v] this deed of the purchase, the sealed one, and this opened deed, and you must put them in an earthenware jar[w] so that they may be kept preserved many days.” 15 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’
16 And I prayed to Yahweh—after giving my deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah—saying,[x] 17 ‘Ah Lord Yahweh! Look, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing[y] is too difficult for you, 18 showing loyal love to the thousands, and repaying the guilt of parents[z] into the laps[aa] of their children after them. Powerful, great, mighty, his name is Yahweh of hosts, 19 great in counsel and great in deed, whose eyes are opened to all the ways of the children of humankind, to give to each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds, 20 who accomplished signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, up to this day, and in Israel, and among humankind, and you have made for yourself a name, as it is this day.
21 And you brought out your people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an arm stretched out, and with great terror. 22 And you gave to them this land, which you swore to their ancestors[ab] to give to them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 And they entered and took possession of it, but they did not listen to your voice, and they did not follow your law. They did nothing of all that you commanded to them to do, and you caused to happen to them all this disaster. 24 Look, the siege ramps have come up to the city to capture it, and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it, because of the sword, the famine, and the plague, and what you spoke happened, and look, you are seeing it.[ac] 25 Yet you have said to me, Lord Yahweh, “Buy for yourself the field with the money, and call witnesses as witness,” though the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’”
26 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[ad] 27 “Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything[ae] too difficult for me?” 28 Therefore[af] thus says Yahweh: “Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 And the Chaldeans, who are fighting against this city, will come and set this city on fire, and they will burn it, and the houses where they have made smoke offerings on their roofs to Baal, and where they have devoted libations to other gods, in order to provoke me to anger. 30 For the people[ag] of Israel and the people[ah] of Judah were doing only evil in my eyes from their youth, for the people[ai] of Israel were only provoking me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares[aj] Yahweh.
31 “For this city has been for me a cause of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even until this day, so I will remove it from my sight,[ak] 32 because of all the evil of the people[al] of Israel and the people[am] of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, and the men[an] of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 And they have turned to me their backs[ao] and not their faces, though I have taught them over and over again,[ap] but they were not listening to accept discipline. 34 And they set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35 And they built the high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to present as offerings their sons and their daughters to Molech, which I had not commanded them, and it had not come to my mind[aq] to do this detestable thing in order to cause Judah to sin.”
36 “So now therefore,[ar] thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city, of which you are saying, ‘It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the plague’: 37 Look, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I driven them in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell in safety.[as] 38 And they will be for me a people, and I will be for them God. 39 And I will give to them one heart and one way, to revere me forever,[at] for good to them, and to their children after them. 40 And I will make[au] with them an everlasting covenant[av] that I will not turn away from them, my doing good to them, and my reverence I will put in their hearts[aw] so that they will not turn aside from me. 41 And I will rejoice over them to do good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness with all my heart, and with all my inner self.”[ax]
42 “For thus says Yahweh, ‘Just as I have brought to this people all this great disaster, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise to them. 43 And the fields[ay] will be bought in this land of which you are saying, “It is a desolation, without humankind or animals.[az] It has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44 They will buy fields with money, and they will sign the deeds,[ba] and they will seal them,[bb] and they will call witnesses as witness in the land of Benjamin, and in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negev, for I will restore their fortunes,’[bc] declares[bd] Yahweh.”
The Fortunes of Judah and Israel Will Be Restored
33 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still held back in the courtyard of the guard, saying,[be] 2 “Thus says Yahweh who made the earth,[bf] Yahweh who formed it to establish it, Yahweh is his name: 3 ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great things and inaccessible things that you have not known.’ 4 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, that were torn down to make a defense against the siege ramps and against the sword: 5 ‘They are coming to fight against the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the corpses of the people whom I will strike in my anger and in my wrath, for whom I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness. 6 Look, I am going to bring healing and health to it, and I will heal them, and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and reliability. 7 And I will restore the fortunes[bg] of Judah and the fortunes[bh] of Israel, and I will rebuild them as in the beginning. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their guilt that they sinned against me, and I will forgive all their iniquities that they sinned against me, and that they rebelled against me. 9 And it will be to me a name of jubilation, a praise, and a glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear all the good that I will do for them, and they will fear,[bi] and they will tremble because of all the good, and because of all the prosperity that I will provide for it.’
10 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Again will be heard in this place, of which you are saying, “It is a waste, without[bj] people and without[bk] animals,”[bl] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without[bm] people and without[bn] inhabitants[bo] and without[bp] animals,[bq] 11 the voice of jubilation, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voices[br] of those who say, “Praise Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good, for his loyal love is forever,”[bs] the voices of those who bring thank offerings[bt] to the house of Yahweh, for I will restore the fortunes[bu] of the land as in the beginning,’ says Yahweh. 12 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Again there will be in this waste place, without[bv] people and animals,[bw] and in all its towns, pasture for shepherds allowing their flock to lie down. 13 In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah, and in the towns of the Negev, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hands of the counter,’ says Yahweh.
14 ‘Look, days are coming,’ declares[bx] Yahweh, ‘and I will fulfill the good promise[by] that I promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 15 In those days and in that time I will make a branch of righteousness sprout for David, and he will execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely,[bz] and this is what they shall call it: “Yahweh is our righteousness.”’ 17 For thus says Yahweh: ‘A man who sits on the throne of the house of Israel will not be cut off for David. 18 And for the priests, a man from the Levites who offers burnt offerings[ca] and who burns grain offerings[cb] and who brings sacrifices[cc] will not be cut off before me[cd] forever.’”[ce]
19 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[cf] 20 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘If you could break my covenant with the day, and my covenant with the night, so that day and night would not come at their time, 21 then my covenant could be broken with David my servant, from having[cg] a son who could rule on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, my ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will make numerous the offspring of David my servant and the Levites who minister to me.’” 23 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,[ch] 24 “Have you not seen how these people speak, saying,[ci] ‘The two clans[cj] whom Yahweh chose, he has also rejected them’? Thus they spurn my people from being a nation before them[ck] any longer. 25 Thus says Yahweh: ‘If my covenant with day and with night, the regulations of heaven and earth, I had not established, 26 then the offspring of Jacob and David my servant I would reject, from choosing rulers from his offspring over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will restore their fortunes[cl] and I will have compassion on them.’”
A Message for Zedekiah
34 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth under the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities, saying,[cm] 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘Go and say to Zedekiah the king of Judah, now you must say to him, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. 3 And you will not escape from his hand, but surely you will be captured, and into his hand you will be given, and you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye,[cn] and you will speak face to face with him,[co] and to Babylon you will go.’ 4 However, hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah, the king of Judah. Thus says Yahweh concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword. 5 In peace you will die, and as there was burning for your ancestors,[cp] the former kings who were before you,[cq] so they will burn for you, and they will lament for you, “Alas, lord!” For the word I have spoken,’ declares[cr] Yahweh.”’” 6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Zedekiah the king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left over—Lachish and Azekah, for these remained among the cities of Judah, the cities of fortification.
Zedekiah’s Covenant Concerning Slaves
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after king Zedekiah made[cs] a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them, 9 to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, the Hebrew and the free Hebrew, so that no one among the Judeans[ct] should enslave his fellow countryman. 10 And all the officials and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, not enslaving them again, and they obeyed and they let them[cu] go. 11 But afterward[cv] they turned back and they brought back the male slaves and the female slaves whom they had let go free, and they subdued them as male slaves and female slaves.
12 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,[cw] 13 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I made[cx] a covenant with your ancestors[cy] on the day of my bringing them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, saying,[cz] 14 “At the end of seven years you must let go each one his fellow countryman, the Hebrew who has been sold to you and who has served you six years, and you must let him go free from you.” But your ancestors[da] did not listen to me, and they did not incline their ears.[db] 15 And you turned back recently[dc] and you did right in my eyes, to proclaim release each one to his neighbor, and you made[dd] a covenant before me[de] in the house that is called by[df] my name. 16 But you turned back and you profaned my name when you brought back each one his male slave and each one his female slave, whom you had let go free according to their desire, and you subdued them to be to you as male slaves and as female slaves.’
17 “Therefore[dg] thus says Yahweh, ‘You have not listened to me to proclaim release each one to his fellow countryman and each one to his neighbor. Look, I am going to proclaim to you a release,’ declares[dh] Yahweh, ‘to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine, and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will make the men who transgressed my covenant, who have not kept the words of the covenant that they made[di] before me,[dj] like the calf which they cut in two and they passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, and the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of the seekers of their lives, and their dead bodies[dk] will become as food for the birds[dl] of the heavens[dm] and for the animals[dn] of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah the king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of the seekers of their lives, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, who retreated from you. 22 Look, I am going to command,’ declares[do] Yahweh, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire, and the towns of Judah I will make a desolation without[dp] an inhabitant.’”
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