| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. It was the eighteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. | 1In the tenth year that Zedekiah was ruling over Judah the LORD spoke to Jeremiah. That was the same as the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. |
| 2The 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 | 2Now at that time, the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse attached to the royal palace of Judah. |
| 3where Zedekiah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, "Why did you prophesy and say these things? You said, '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. | 3For King Zedekiah had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah, "Why do you keep prophesying these things? Why do you keep saying that the LORD says, 'I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon? I will let him capture it. |
| 4Zedekiah, king of Judah, won't escape from 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. | 4King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He must answer personally to the king of Babylon and confront him face to face. |
| 5The king of Babylon 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."'" | 5Zedekiah will be carried off to Babylon and will remain there until I have fully dealt with him. I, the LORD, affirm it! Even if you continue to fight against the Babylonians, you cannot win.'" |
| 6Jeremiah replied, "This message from the LORD came to me: | 6So now, Jeremiah said, "The LORD told me, |
| 7Look, Hanamel, your cousin, 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."' | 7Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. He will say to you, "Buy my field at Anathoth because you are entitled as my closest relative to buy it."' |
| 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. | 8Now it happened just as the LORD had said! My cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guardhouse. He said to me, 'Buy my field which is at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Buy it for yourself since you are entitled as my closest relative to take possession of it for yourself.' When this happened, I recognized that the LORD had indeed spoken to me. |
| 9"Then I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out the silver for him—seventeen shekels of silver. | 9So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it. |
| 10I signed the deed and sealed it. I called in witnesses and used scales to weigh out the silver. | 10I signed the deed of purchase, sealed it, and had some men serve as witnesses to the purchase. I weighed out the silver for him on a scale. |
| 11Then I took the deed of purchase—both the sealed one with the terms and conditions and the open one — | 11There were two copies of the deed of purchase. One was sealed and contained the order of transfer and the conditions of purchase. The other was left unsealed. |
| 12and 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. | 12I took both copies of the deed of purchase and gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the Judeans who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse. |
| 13In their presence, I instructed Baruch as follows: | 13In the presence of all these people I instructed Baruch, |
| 14This 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. | 14The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, "Take these documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy. Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come."' |
| 15For 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.'"'" | 15For the LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, "Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land."' |
| 16"After I had given the deed of purchase to Neriah's son Baruch, I prayed to the LORD: | 16"After I had given the copies of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, |
| 17LORD! Look, you made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you! | 17Oh, Lord GOD, you did indeed make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. Nothing is too hard for you! |
| 18You, 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. | 18You show unfailing love to thousands. But you also punish children for the sins of their parents. You are the great and powerful God who is known as the LORD who rules over all. |
| 19You are 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. | 19You plan great things and you do mighty deeds. You see everything people do. You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do. |
| 20You are the one who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and continue to do so until this day, both in Israel and among the rest of humanity. You made a reputation for yourself that continues to this day. | 20You did miracles and amazing deeds in the land of Egypt which have had lasting effect. By this means you gained both in Israel and among humankind a renown that lasts to this day. |
| 21By 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. | 21You used your mighty power and your great strength to perform miracles and amazing deeds and to bring great terror on the Egyptians. By this means you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt. |
| 22And you gave them this land which you had promised their ancestors that you would give them—a land flowing with milk and honey. | 22You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors. You gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. |
| 23They came and took possession of it, but they didn't obey you or walk according to your Law. They didn't do what you commanded them to do, so you caused all this calamity to happen to them. | 23But when they came in and took possession of it, they did not obey you or live as you had instructed them. They did not do anything that you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them. |
| 24Look, 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! | 24Even now siege ramps have been built up around the city in order to capture it. War, starvation, and disease are sure to make the city fall into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. LORD, you threatened that this would happen. Now you can see that it is already taking place. |
| 25Lord, you have told me, "Buy the field for yourself with money and call in witnesses, " even though the city is being given over to the Chaldeans.'" | 25The city is sure to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. Yet, in spite of this, you, Lord GOD, have said to me, "Buy that field with silver and have the transaction legally witnessed."'" |
| 26Then this message from the LORD came to Jeremiah: | 26The LORD answered Jeremiah. |
| 27"Look, I am the LORD, the God who rules over all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?" | 27"I am the LORD, the God of all humankind. There is, indeed, nothing too difficult for me. |
| 28Therefore, 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. | 28Therefore I, the LORD, say: 'I will indeed hand this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonian army. They will capture it. |
| 29The 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. | 29The Babylonian soldiers that are attacking this city will break into it and set it on fire. They will burn it down along with the houses where people have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods on their rooftops. |
| 30Indeed, the Israelis and Judeans 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. | 30This will happen because the people of Israel and Judah have repeatedly done what displeases me from their earliest history until now and because they have repeatedly made me angry by the things they have done. I, the LORD, affirm it! |
| 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 from my sight | 31This will happen because the people of this city have aroused my anger and my wrath since the time they built it until now. They have made me so angry that I am determined to remove it from my sight. |
| 32because 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. | 32I am determined to do so because the people of Israel and Judah have made me angry with all their wickedness--they, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, and especially the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem have done this wickedness. |
| 33They have turned their backs to me rather than their faces. Even though I taught them, teaching them again and again, they didn't listen to accept correction. | 33They have turned away from me instead of turning to me. I tried over and over again to instruct them, but they did not listen and respond to correction. |
| 34They put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name and defiled it. | 34They set up their disgusting idols in the temple which I have claimed for my own and defiled it. |
| 35They built the high places of Baal that are in the Hinnom Valley 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." | 35They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable for punishment.' |
| 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,' | 36"You and your people are right in saying, 'War, starvation, and disease are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.' But now I, the LORD God of Israel, have something further to say about this city: |
| 37I'm about to gather my people 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. | 37I will certainly regather my people from all the countries where I will have exiled them in my anger, fury, and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and allow them to live here in safety. |
| 38They'll be my people, and I'll be their God. | 38They will be my people, and I will be their God. |
| 39I'll give them one heart and one lifestyle so they'll fear me always for their own good and for the good of their descendants after them. | 39I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for their own good and the good of the children who descend from them. |
| 40I'll make an everlasting covenant with them that I won't turn away from doing good for them. I'll put the fear of me in their hearts so they won't turn away from me. | 40I will make a lasting covenant with them that I will never stop doing good to them. I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that they will never again turn away from me. |
| 41I'll rejoice over them to do good for them, and I'll faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.' | 41I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them firmly in the land.' |
| 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. | 42"For I, the LORD, say: 'I will surely bring on these people all the good fortune that I am hereby promising them. I will be just as sure to do that as I have been in bringing all this great disaster on them. |
| 43Fields 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." | 43You and your people are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. But fields will again be bought in this land. |
| 44People 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, and the towns of the Negev, for I'll restore their fortunes,' declares the LORD." | 44Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country, the western foothills, and southern Judah. For I will restore them to their land. I, the LORD, affirm it!'" |
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