Beginning

Jeremiah Purchases a Field

32 This is^[a] the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of the reign of^[b] Zedekiah, king of Judah. It was the eighteenth year of the reign of^[c] Nebuchadnezzar. ² The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard at the palace of the king of Judah ³ where Zedekiah had confined him. Zedekiah had said,^[d] “Why did you prophesy and say these things? You said,^[e] ‘This is what the Lord says: “I’m about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. ⁴ Zedekiah, king of Judah, won’t escape from^[f] the Chaldeans, for he has surely been given over to the king of Babylon. He will speak to him face to face and look at him eye to eye. ⁵ The king of Babylon^[g] will take Zedekiah to Babylon and there he will stay until I judge him,” declares the Lord. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you won’t succeed.”’”

⁶ Jeremiah replied, “This message from the Lord came to me: ⁷ ‘Look, Hanamel, your cousin,^[h] is coming to you and will say, “Buy my field in Anathoth for yourself, because the right of redemption to buy it belongs to you.”’

⁸ “Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard just as the Lord had said, and he told me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin because you have the right to possess it, and the right to redeem it belongs to you. Buy it for yourself.’ So I knew that this was a message from the Lord.

⁹ “Then I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out the silver for him—seventeen shekels^[i] of silver. ¹⁰ I signed the deed and sealed it. I called in witnesses and used scales to weigh out the silver. ¹¹ Then I took the deed of purchase—both the sealed one^[j] with the terms and conditions and the open one^[k]— ¹² and I gave the deed of purchase to Neriah’s son Baruch, the grandson of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans sitting in the courtyard of the guard. ¹³ In their presence, I instructed Baruch as follows: ¹⁴ ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take these deeds—both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed—and put them in a clay pot so they’ll last for a long time. ¹⁵ For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’”’”

Jeremiah’s Prayer

¹⁶ “After I had given the deed of purchase to Neriah’s son Baruch, I prayed to the Lord: ¹⁷ ‘Lord! Look, you made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you! ¹⁸ You, the great God, the mighty one, show gracious love to thousands and repay the parents’ iniquity to their children after them. The Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name. ¹⁹ You are^[l] great in regards to your purposes and mighty in regards to your works. Your eyes are open to everything that people do, and will reward each one according to their ways and just as their actions deserve.^{[m] 20} You are the one who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and continue to do so^[n] until this day, both in Israel and among the rest of humanity. You made a reputation for yourself that continues to this day.^{[o] 21} By your strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror, you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders. ²² And you gave them this land which you had promised their ancestors that you would give them—a land flowing with milk and honey. ²³ They came and took possession of it, but they didn’t obey you or walk according to your Law.^[p] They didn’t do what you commanded them to do, so you caused all this calamity to happen to them. ²⁴ Look, the siege ramps have reached the city to take it. Because of the sword, famine, and plague, the city has been given over to the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you said has happened, and you are watching it occur!^{[q] 25} Lord, you have told me, “Buy the field for yourself with money and call in witnesses,^[r]” even though the city is being given over to the Chaldeans.’”

Prophecy of Jerusalem’s Fall

²⁶ Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁷ “Look, I am the Lord, the God who rules over all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?” ²⁸ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: “I’m about to give this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will capture it. ²⁹ The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come, set this city on fire, and burn it along with the houses on whose roofs incense was burned to Baal and liquid offerings were poured out to other gods in order to provoke me. ³⁰ Indeed, the Israelis^[s] and Judeans^[t] have been doing only evil in my presence since their youth. Indeed, the Israelis have done nothing but provoke me by what they have made with their hands,” declares the Lord.

³¹ “Indeed, this city has provoked me to anger and wrath from the day they built it until now, and so I’ll remove it^[u] from my sight ³² because of all the evil that the Israelis and Judeans have done to provoke me. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, the people of Judah, and those living in Jerusalem have done these things.^{[v] 33} They have turned their backs to me rather than their faces. Even though I taught them, teaching them again and again,^[w] they didn’t listen to accept correction. ³⁴ They put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name and defiled it. ³⁵ They built the high places of Baal that are in the Hinnom Valley^[x] in order to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech—something that I didn’t command, nor did it ever enter my mind for them to require this utterly repugnant thing—and lead Judah into sin.”

A Promise of Restoration

³⁶ “Now therefore,” says the Lord God of Israel, “concerning this city about which you are saying, ‘It is being given into the control of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and plague,’ ³⁷ I’m about to gather my people^[y] from all the lands where I’ve driven them in my anger, wrath, and great indignation. I’ll bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. ³⁸ They’ll be my people, and I’ll be their God. ³⁹ I’ll give them one heart and one lifestyle^[z] so they’ll fear me always for their own good and for the good of^[aa] their descendants after them. ⁴⁰ I’ll make an everlasting covenant with them that I won’t turn away from doing good for them.^[ab] I’ll put the fear of me in their hearts so they won’t turn away from me. ⁴¹ I’ll rejoice over them to do good for them, and I’ll faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.’

⁴² “Indeed, this is what the Lord says: ‘Just as I’m bringing all this great disaster on this people, so I’ll bring on them all the good things that I’m promising concerning them. ⁴³ Fields will be bought in this land about which you will say, “It is a desolate place without people or animals. It is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” ⁴⁴ People^[ac] will buy fields for money, sign deeds, seal them, and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, the towns of the hill country, the towns of the Shephelah,^[ad] and the towns of the Negev,^[ae] for I’ll restore their fortunes,’ declares the Lord.”

Restoration of Judah and Jerusalem

33 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guard: ² “This is what the Lord says who made the earth, the Lord who formed it in order to establish it—whose name is the Lord— ³ ‘Call to me and I’ll answer you, and will tell you about great and hidden^[af] things that you don’t know.’ ⁴ For this is what the Lord God of Israel says about the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to defend^[ag] against the siege ramps and the sword, ⁵ ‘The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill those houses with the dead bodies of the people that I’ve struck down in my anger and wrath, for I’ve hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness.

⁶ “‘Look, I’ll bring restoration and healing to it, and I’ll heal them. I’ll reveal to them an abundance of peace and faithfulness. ⁷ I’ll restore the security of Judah and Israel^[ah] and rebuild them as they were at first. ⁸ I’ll cleanse them from all their sin that they have committed against me, and I’ll forgive all their sins that they committed against me and by which they rebelled against me. ⁹ Jerusalem^[ai] will be for me a name of joy, praise, and glory to all the nations of the earth that hear about all the good that I’m doing for them. They’ll fear and tremble because of all the good and because of all the peace that I’m bringing to Jerusalem.’^[aj]

¹⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘You are saying about this place, “It is a ruin without people and without animals.” Yet in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem which are desolate places without inhabitants and without animals, there will again be heard ¹¹ the sounds of rejoicing and gladness, the sounds of the bridegroom and the bride, and the sounds of those saying,

as they bring thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s Temple. For I’ll restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ declares the Lord.

¹² “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In this place that is now a ruin without people or animals, and in all its towns there will again be pasture for shepherds resting their flocks. ¹³ In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah,^[ak] in the towns of the Negev,^[al] in the territory of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.”

The Righteous Branch and the Davidic Covenant

¹⁴ “‘Look, the time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I’ll fulfill the good promise that I spoke concerning the house of Israel and Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I’ll cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he will uphold justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people^[am] will call it, “The Lord is Our Righteousness.”’ ¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never be without^[an] a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel, ¹⁸ nor will the Levitical priests be without^[ao] a man offering up burnt offerings, bringing in grain offerings, and offering sacrifices continuously^[ap] before me.’”

¹⁹ This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you could break my covenant with the day and night^[aq] so that day and night wouldn’t occur at the proper time,^{[ar] 21} then my covenant with my servant David might also be broken so that he wouldn’t have a son sitting on his throne, and so also with my servants the Levitical priests. ²² As the heavenly bodies^[as] cannot be counted, and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I’ll multiply the descendants^[at] of my servant David and the descendants of Levi who serve me.’”

²³ This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Haven’t you noticed what these people have been saying?—‘The Lord rejected the two families that he had chosen!’ They have contempt for my people and no longer consider them a nation. ²⁵ This is what the Lord says: ‘If I had not established my covenant for day and night and the laws that govern^[au] the heavens and earth, ²⁶ then I might reject the descendants^[av] of Jacob and my servant David by not taking some of his descendants as rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I’ll restore their fortunes, and I’ll have compassion on them.’”

A Message to Zedekiah

34 This is^[aw] the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord while king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, all his army, all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his authority, along with all the people were fighting against Jerusalem and all its towns: ² “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Go and speak to king Zedekiah of Judah. Say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Look, I’m giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will set it on fire. ³ You won’t escape from him. You will certainly be captured and given into his control.^[ax] You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, he will speak to you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’”’ ⁴ Yet, hear this message from the Lord, king Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the Lord says to you, ‘You won’t die by the sword. ⁵ You will die peacefully, and as they burned fires^[ay] for your ancestors,^[az] the former kings who were before you, so they’ll burn fires^[ba] for you, wailing, “Oh how terrible, your majesty!”’ For I’ve spoken the message,” declares the Lord.

⁶ Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all of this in Jerusalem to king Zedekiah of Judah, ⁷ while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah that were left, namely Lachish and Azekah. (They were the only fortified cities that remained among the cities of Judah.)

A Broken Agreement with Hebrew Servants

⁸ This is^[bb] this message from the Lord that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem proclaiming release for them. ⁹ Each person was to set free his male and female slaves who were Hebrews, so that no Jewish person would enslave his brother.^{[bc] 10} All the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant agreed^[bd] that each would set his male and female slaves free so that they^[be] would not enslave them any longer. They obeyed and they released them. ¹¹ But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves that they had set free, and they forced them to become male and female slaves.

¹² Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ¹³ “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I told them: ¹⁴ “At the end of seven years, each of you is to set free your fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you and has served you for six years. You are to send him out from you with no further obligation.” But your ancestors didn’t obey me or pay attention.^{[bf] 15} You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming release for one another, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name. ¹⁶ But then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves whom you had set free according to their desire, and you forced them to become male and female slaves.”’

¹⁷ “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You haven’t obeyed me by each of you proclaiming a release for your brothers and neighbors. Now I’m going to proclaim a release for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘a release^[bg] to the sword, to plague, and to famine, and I’ll make you a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms of the earth. ¹⁸ I’ll give over the men who transgressed my covenant, who haven’t fulfilled the terms of the covenant that they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— ¹⁹ the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs,^[bh] the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. ²⁰ I’ll give them to their enemies who are seeking to kill them, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the land. ²¹ I’ll give Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his officials into the domination of their enemies, to those^[bi] who are seeking to kill them, and to^[bj] the army of the king of Babylon that is coming against them. ²² Look, I’m in command of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I’ll bring them back to this city. They’ll capture it and burn it with fire, and I’ll turn the towns of Judah into desolate places without inhabitants.’”