Jeremiah Buys Hanamel’s Field
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house.
3 Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you prophesy and say, ‘The Lord says: I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon and will speak with him face to face and eye to eye. 5 He will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him, says the Lord. If you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’ ”
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 7 ‘Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying: Buy my field that is in Anathoth, for in the right of redemption, it is yours to buy.’ ”
8 “So Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the Lord and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin, for you have the legal right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.’
Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9 I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle’s son and weighed out the money–seventeen pieces of silver. 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed the money in the balances to him.
11 Then I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open, 12 and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard.
13 I commanded Baruch before them, saying, 14 ‘The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says: Take these deeds, this deed of purchase which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may be preserved. 15 For the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says: Houses and fields and vineyards will yet again be bought in this land.’ ”
Jeremiah’s Prayer
16 ” Now after I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying, 17 “Oh Lord God! You have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you.
18 You show loving kindness to thousands and repay the sins of the fathers upon their children after them. The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is your name: 19 great in counsel and mighty in work, whose eyes are open to all the ways of mankind, to give to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
20 You performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among other men and made yourself a name, as it is today.
21 You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, with wonders, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, 22 and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They came in and possessed it, but they did not obey your voice and did not walk in your law. They have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have caused all this disaster to come upon them.
24 Look at the siege ramps! They have come to the city to take it. The city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, the famine, and the pestilence. What you have spoken has happened. You see it. 25 You have said to me, Lord God, ‘Buy the field for money and call witnesses,’ whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”
Jerusalem’s Fall Confirmed
26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me? 28 Therefore the Lord says: I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. 29 The Chaldeans, who fight against this city, will come and set this city on fire and burn it with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
30 For from their youth, the Israelites and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight, for the Israelites have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says the Lord. 31 This city has been the provocation of my anger and wrath from the day that they built it to this day, so that I should remove it from before my face 32 because of all the evil of the people of Israel and the people 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 They have turned their backs to me, and not their faces. Although I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction. 34 But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it. 35 They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through fire to Molech, which I did not command them. It did not even enter my mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”
A Promise of Restoration
36 “Now therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning this city, about which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence,’ 37 ‘I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them in my anger and wrath and indignation, and I will bring them back to this place. I will cause them to dwell safely.
38 Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one purpose, that they may fear me forever, for their good and the good of their children after them.
40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do good for them. I will put fear of me in their hearts, that they may not depart from me. 41 Yes, I will rejoice over them to do good for them, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.’
42 For the Lord says, ‘Just as I have brought all this great disaster on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. 43 Fields will be bought in this land, about which you say: It is desolate, without man or animal. It is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. 44 Men will buy fields for money, sign the deeds, seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and 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, for I will cause their captivity to be reversed,’ says the Lord.”