Jeremiah 32

1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah—which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

2Then the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah.

3Zedekiah, king of Judah, had confined him, saying, "Why do you prophesy and declare, 'This is what Yahweh says: Here I am, handing this city over to Babylon's king, and he will capture it'?"

4And Zedekiah, king of Judah, will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, for he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak mouth to mouth with him, and his eyes will see his eyes.

5He will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he will be until I visit him, declares Yahweh: though you fight the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.

6Jeremiah said, "Yahweh's word came to me, saying,"

7Behold, Hanameel son of Shallum your uncle will come to you saying, "Buy my field in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it."

8Hanameel son of my uncle came to me in the prison courtyard, as Yahweh had declared, and said to me, "Buy my field in Anathoth, which lies in Benjamin's land, please; for the inheritance claim is yours, and the redemption is yours—buy it for yourself." Then I knew this was Yahweh's word.

9I bought the field that was in Anathoth from Hanameel, my uncle's son, and weighed out seventeen shekels of silver to him.

10I wrote the deed and sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed the silver on the scales.

11I took the purchase document, both the sealed one with the ordinance and statutes, and the open one.

12I gave the purchase deed to Baruch son of Neriah son of Maaseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my kinsman and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews residing in the courtyard of the guard.

13I commanded Baruch before their eyes, saying,

14Thus says Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel: Take these documents, this sealed purchase deed and this open deed, and put them in an earthen vessel, so they may last many days.

15For this is what Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.

16After I delivered the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to Yahweh, saying,

17Ah, Lord Yahweh! You made the heavens and the earth with your great power and outstretched arm; nothing is too difficult for you.

18who shows kindness to thousands and repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the great, mighty God, Yahweh of hosts is his name.

19Great in counsel and mighty in deed, your eyes open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give each according to his ways and the fruit of his doings.

20who have displayed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt to this day, in Israel and among people, and have made a name for yourself, as you have this day.

21You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, a mighty hand and outstretched arm, and great dread.

22and you gave them this land you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.

23They came and occupied it, but did not heed your voice, nor follow your laws or your instruction; they carried out none of all you commanded them to carry out; therefore you brought all this disaster upon them.

24Behold, the siege mounds have come to the city to capture it, and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans fighting against it because of the sword, famine, and pestilence; what you have spoken has happened, and behold, you see it.

25And you said to me, Lord Yahweh, "Buy the field for silver and call witnesses," while the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

26Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,

27Behold, I am Yahweh, God of all flesh: is any matter too difficult for me?

28Therefore thus says Yahweh: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it.

29The Chaldeans fighting against this city will come, set it ablaze with fire, and burn it, along with the houses on whose roofs they burned incense to Baal and poured drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

30For the sons of Israel and Judah's sons have only done evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, Israel's sons have only provoked me to anger with their handiwork, declares Yahweh.

31For this city has been a provocation to my anger and wrath from the day they built it to this day, that I might remove it from my presence.

32On account of all the evil the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have done to anger me—they themselves, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33They turned their backs to me, not their faces, though I taught them, rising early and instructing them, yet they would not listen to receive discipline.

34They placed their detestable things in the house on which my name is called, to defile it.

35They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to pass their sons and daughters through to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it arise in my heart for them to commit this abomination to cause Judah to sin.

36Now therefore thus says Yahweh, God of Israel, concerning this city, which you say is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and pestilence.

37See, I will gather them from all the lands to which I banished them there in my anger, in my wrath, and in great indignation, and I will restore them to this place, and I will settle them securely.

38They will be my people, and I will be their God.

39I will give them one heart and one way to fear me always, for their good and their children's after them.

40I will make a covenant that endures forever with them, so that I do not turn from pursuing them to benefit them, and I will give my fear into their hearts, lest they turn aside from me.

41I will rejoice greatly over them to do good to them, and I will plant them in this land faithfully with all my heart and with all my soul.

42For thus says Yahweh: as I brought all this great calamity upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I speak of to them.

43Fields will be bought in this land, which you say is desolate, with no man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

44They will buy fields for silver and write in a document and seal and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin and the surroundings of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the hill country and in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the Negev, for I will restore their captivity, says Yahweh.