Jeremiah Imprisoned

1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2Now at that time the military force of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah, 3because Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it; 4and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with him [†]face to face and see him eye to eye; 5and he will lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I [†]visit him,” declares Yahweh. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed”’?”

6And Jeremiah said, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 7‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, “Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the legal judgment for redemption to buy it.”’ 8Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of Yahweh and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the legal judgment for possession, and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of Yahweh.

9“I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and I weighed out the silver for him, seventeen [†]shekels of silver. 10And I [†]signed and sealed the deed and called in witnesses and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the commandment and statutes and the open copy, 12and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, in the sight of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13And I commanded Baruch in their sight, saying, 14‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds—this deed of purchase—that is the sealed one as well as this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may [†]last a long time.” 15For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’

Jeremiah Prays, Yahweh Responds

16“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, then I prayed to Yahweh, saying, 17‘Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, 18who shows lovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. Yahweh of hosts is His name, 19great in counsel and abundant in deeds, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds, 20who has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name for Yourself, as at this day. 21You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror 22and gave them this land, which You swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23They came in and took possession of it, but they did not listen to Your voice and did not walk in Your law. They have not done anything that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made all this harmful evil come upon them. 24Behold, the siege ramps have come to the city to capture it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, who fight against it, because of the sword, the famine, and the pestilence; and what You have spoken has happened; and behold, You see it. 25And You have said to me, O Lord Yahweh, “Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses”—but the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’”

26Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 27“Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” 28Therefore thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses where people have burned incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger. 30Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only evil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares Yahweh. 31“Indeed this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be removed from before My face 32because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons 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. 33And they have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching, they would not listen [†]and receive discipline. 34But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 35And they built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them, nor had it come upon My heart that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36“So now, therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you are saying, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence.’ 37Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have banished them in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will cause them to return to this place and make them inhabit it in safety. 38And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. 40And I will cut an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 41And I will rejoice over them to do them good and will truly plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. 42For thus says Yahweh, ‘Just as I brought all this great evil on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them. 43Thus fields will be bought in this land of which you all are saying, “It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44Men will buy fields for money, [†]sign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the surroundings of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the [†]Shephelah, and in the cities of the [†]Negev; for I will [†]return their [†]fortunes,’ declares Yahweh.”