Jeremiah Buys Hanamel’s Field

1These wordes spake the Lorde vnto Ieremie in the tenth yere of Zedekias king of Iuda, whiche was the eyghteenth yere of Nabuchodonozor, 2What tyme as the kyng of Babylons hoast layde siege vnto Hierusalem: but Ieremie the prophete lay bounde in the court of the pryson, whiche was in the kyng of Iudaes house, 3Where Zedekias the kyng of Iuda caused hym to be layde, because he had prophecied on this maner: Thus saith the Lorde, Beholde, I wyll deliuer this citie into the handes of the kyng of Babylon, whiche shall take it. 4As for Zedekias the kyng of Iuda, he shall not be able to escape the Chaldees: but surely he shall come into the handes of the king of Babylon, whiche shall speake with him mouth to mouth, and one of them shall looke another in the face. 5And Zedekias shalbe caryed vnto Babylon, and there shall he be vntyll the tyme that I visite hym saith the Lorde: but if thou takest in hande to fight against the Chaldees, thou shalt not prosper.

6And Ieremie saide, Thus hath the Lorde spoken vnto me: 7Beholde, Hananeel the sonne of Sellum thine vncles sonne, shall come vnto thee, and require thee to redeeme the lande that lyeth in Anathoth vnto thy selfe: for by reason of kinred it is thy right to redeeme it and bye it out. 8And Hananeel myne vncles sonne came to me in the court of the pryson, according to the word of the Lord, and sayde vnto me: Bye my lande I pray thee, that lieth in Anathoth in the countrey of Beniamin, for by heritage thou hast right to loose it out for thy selfe, therfore redeeme it. Then I perceaued that this was the comaundement the Lorde:

9And so I bought the lande from Hanaeel of Anathoth myne vncles sonne, and wayed hym there the money, euen seuen sicles, and ten syluer pence: 10And I writ it in a booke, and sealed it, and toke witnesses, and wayed hym there the money vpon the waightes. 11So I toke the euidence with the copie, when it was orderly sealed, and read it ouer: 12And I gaue the euidence to Baruch the sonne of Neriah, the sonne of Maasiah, in the sight of Hananeel my cosin, and in the presence of the witnesses that be named in the euidence, and before all the Iewes that were thereby in the court of the pryson. 13I charged Baruch also before them, saying: 14The Lord of hoastes, the God of Israel commaundeth thee to take this sealed euidence with the copie, and to lay it in the earthen vessell, that it may long continue. 15For the Lorde of hoastes the God of Israel hath determined, that houses, fieldes, and vineyardes shalbe possessed agayne in this lande.

Jeremiah Prays for Understanding

16Nowe when I had deliuered the euidence vnto Baruch the sonne of Neriah, I besought the Lorde, saying: 17O Lorde God, it is thou that hast made heauen and earth with thy great power and hye arme, and there is nothing hid from thee. 18Thou shewest mercy vpon thousandes, thou recompensest the wickednesse of the fathers into the bosome of the chyldren that come after them. 19Thou art the great and mightie God, whose name is the Lorde of hoastes, great in counsel, and excellent in worke, thyne eyes looke vpon all the wayes of mens chyldren, to rewarde euery one after his way, and according to the fruites of his inuentions. 20Thou hast done great tokens and wonders in the lande of Egypt, as we see this day, vpon the people of Israel, and vpon those men, to make thy name great, as it is come to passe this day. 21Thou hast brought thy people of Israel out of the lande of Egypt, with tokens, with wonders, with a mightie hande, with a stretched out arme, and with great terriblenesse: 22And hast geuen them this lande, like as thou haddest promised vnto their fathers namely that thou wouldest geue them a lande that floweth with mylke and honye. 23Nowe when they came therein and possessed it, they folowed not thy voyce, and walked not in thy lawe: but all that thou commaundedst them to do, that haue they not done, and therefore come all these plagues vpon them. 24Beholde, there are bulwarkes made nowe against this citie to take it, and it shalbe wonne of the Chaldees that besiege it with sworde, with hunger, and death: and looke what thou hast spoken, that same shall come vpon them, for lo all thinges are present vnto thee. 25Yet sayest thou vnto me O Lorde God, and commaundest me that I shall bye a peece of land vnto my selfe for money, and take witnesses thereto: and yet in the meane season the citie is deliuered into the power of the Chaldees.

The LORD Answers Jeremiah

26Then came the worde of the Lorde vnto Ieremie, saying: 27Beholde, I am the Lorde God of all fleshe: is there any thing then to harde for me? 28Therefore thus saith the Lorde: beholde, I shall deliuer this citie into the power of the Chaldees, and into the power of Nabuchodonozor the king of Babylon, they shall take it: 29For the Chaldees shall come and winne this citie, and set fire vpon it, and burne it, with the gorgious houses, in whose parlours they haue made sacrifice vnto Baal, and powred drinke offeringes vnto straunge gods, to prouoke me vnto wrath: 30For the chyldren of Israel and the chyldren of Iuda haue only ben doyng wickednesse before me from their youth vp, they haue ben only prouoking me to wrath with the workes of their owne handes, saith the Lorde. 31For what hath this citie ben els, but a prouoking of my wrath euer since the day that thei builded it, vnto this houre wherein I cast it out of my sight? 32Because of the great blasphemies of the children of Israel and Iuda, which they haue done to prouoke me, yea they, their kynges, their princes, their priestes, their prophetes, the men of Iuda, and the citizens of Hierusalem: 33When I stoode vp early and taught them, and instructed them, they turned their backes to me, and not their faces, 34They woulde not heare to be refourmed and correct: but set their idols in the house that is halowed to my name, to defile it. 35They haue buylded hye places for Baal in the valley of the chyldren of Hennom, to cause their sonnes & daughters to passe thorow fire in the honour of Moloch, whiche I neuer commaunded them: neither came it euer in my thought to make Iuda sinne with such abhomination.

A Promise of Restoration
(Ezekiel 11:13–21)

36And nowe therefore thus hath the Lorde God of Israel spoken concerning this citie, whiche as ye your selues confesse, shalbe deliuered into the hande of the kyng of Babylon, when it is wonne with the sworde, with hunger, and with pestilence. 37Beholde, I wyll gather them together from all landes, wherein I haue scattred them in my wrath in fearefull and great displeasure, and wyll bryng them agayne vnto this place, where they shall dwell safely: 38And they shalbe my people, and I wyll be their God. 39And I wyll geue them one heart and one way, that they may feare me al the dayes of their lyfe: that they and their chyldren after them may prosper. 40And I wyll set vp an euerlasting couenaunt with them namely that I wyll neuer ceasse to do them good, and that I wyll put my feare in their heartes, so that they shall not runne away from me. 41Yea I wyll haue a lust and pleasure to do them good, and faithfully to plant them in this land with my whole heart and with my whole soule. 42For thus saith the Lorde, Like as I haue brought all this great plague vppon this people: euen so wyll I also bryng vpon them all the good that I haue promised them. 43And men shall haue their possessions in this lande, wherof ye say nowe, that it shall neither be inhabited of the people, nor of cattell, but be deliuered into the handes of the Chaldees: 44Yea lande shalbe bought for money, and euidences made thervpon, and sealed before witnesses in the countrey of Beniamin, and rounde about Hierusalem, in the cities of Iuda, in the cities that are vpon the mountaynes, and them that lye beneath, yea and in the cities that are in the south: for I wyll bryng their prysoners hyther agayne, saith the Lorde.