New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
1The following message came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. This was also the eighteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. | 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. |
2Jerusalem was then under siege from the Babylonian army, and Jeremiah was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. | 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 |
3King Zedekiah had put him there, asking why he kept giving this prophecy: “This is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will take it. | 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. |
4King Zedekiah will be captured by the Babylonians and taken to meet the king of Babylon face to face. | 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. |
5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and I will deal with him there,’ says the LORD. ‘If you fight against the Babylonians, you will never succeed.’” | 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."'" |
6At that time the LORD sent me a message. He said, | 6Jeremiah replied, "This message from the LORD came to me: |
7“Your cousin Hanamel son of Shallum will come and say to you, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.’” | 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."' |
8Then, just as the LORD had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said, “Please buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else, so buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the LORD. | 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. |
9So I bought the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces of silver for it. | 9"Then I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out the silver for him—seventeen shekels of silver. |
10I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before witnesses, weighed out the silver, and paid him. | 10I signed the deed and sealed it. I called in witnesses and used scales to weigh out the silver. |
11Then I took the sealed deed and an unsealed copy of the deed, which contained the terms and conditions of the purchase, | 11Then I took the deed of purchase—both the sealed one with the terms and conditions and the open one — |
12and I handed them to Baruch son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I did all this in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed, and all the men of Judah who were there in the courtyard of the guardhouse. | 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. |
13Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, | 13In their presence, I instructed Baruch as follows: |
14“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take both this sealed deed and the unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.’ | 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. |
15For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’” Jeremiah’s Prayer | 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.'"'" |
16Then after I had given the papers to Baruch, I prayed to the LORD: | 16"After I had given the deed of purchase to Neriah's son Baruch, I prayed to the LORD: |
17“O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! | 17LORD! Look, you made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you! |
18You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation’s sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. | 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. |
19You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve. | 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. |
20You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt—things still remembered to this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day. | 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. |
21“You brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders, with a strong hand and powerful arm, and with overwhelming terror. | 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. |
22You gave the people of Israel this land that you had promised their ancestors long before—a land flowing with milk and honey. | 22And you gave them this land which you had promised their ancestors that you would give them—a land flowing with milk and honey. |
23Our ancestors came and conquered it and lived in it, but they refused to obey you or follow your word. They have not done anything you commanded. That is why you have sent this terrible disaster upon them. | 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. |
24“See how the siege ramps have been built against the city walls! Through war, famine, and disease, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will conquer it. Everything has happened just as you said. | 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! |
25And yet, O Sovereign LORD, you have told me to buy the field—paying good money for it before these witnesses—even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians.” A Prediction of Jerusalem’s Fall | 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.'" |
26Then this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: | 26Then this message from the LORD came to Jeremiah: |
27“I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? | 27"Look, I am the LORD, the God who rules over all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?" |
28Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I will hand this city over to the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will capture it. | 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. |
29The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods. | 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. |
30Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days. They have infuriated me with all their evil deeds,” says the LORD. | 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. |
31“From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me, so I am determined to get rid of 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 |
32“The sins of Israel and Judah—the sins of the people of Jerusalem, the kings, the officials, the priests, and the prophets—have stirred up my anger. | 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. |
33My people have turned their backs on me and have refused to return. Even though I diligently taught them, they would not receive instruction or obey. | 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. |
34They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it. | 34They put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name and defiled it. |
35They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly! A Promise of Restoration | 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." |
36“Now I want to say something more about this city. You have been saying, ‘It will fall to the king of Babylon through war, famine, and disease.’ But this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: | 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,' |
37I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. | 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. |
38They will be my people, and I will be their God. | 38They'll be my people, and I'll be their God. |
39And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. | 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. |
40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. | 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. |
41I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land. | 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.' |
42“This is what the LORD says: Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them. | 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. |
43Fields will again be bought and sold in this land about which you now say, ‘It has been ravaged by the Babylonians, a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ | 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." |
44Yes, fields will once again be bought and sold—deeds signed and sealed and witnessed—in the land of Benjamin and here in Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the hill country, in the foothills of Judah and in the Negev, too. For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the LORD, have spoken!” | 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." |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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