Chapter 32

Jeremiah Imprisoned

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

2 Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the acourt of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah,

3 because Zedekiah king of Judah had ashut him up, saying, “Why do you bprophesy, saying, ‘cThus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to dgive this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;

4 and Zedekiah king of Judah will anot 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 bspeak with him 1face to face and see him eye to eye;

5 and he will atake Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” declares the Lord. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will bnot succeed” ’?”

6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord 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 aAnathoth, for you have the bright of redemption to buy it.” ’

8 “Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the acourt of the guard according to the word of the Lord and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at bAnathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the cword of the Lord.

9 “I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and I aweighed out the silver for him, seventeen bshekels of silver.

10 “I 1asigned and bsealed the deed, and ccalled in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.

11 “Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the aterms and conditions and the open copy;

12 and I gave the deed of purchase to aBaruch the son of bNeriah, 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, before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard.

13 “And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying,

14 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may 1last a long time.”

15 ‘For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “aHouses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’

Jeremiah Prays and God Explains

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, then I aprayed to the Lord, saying,

17 ‘aAh Lord 1God! Behold, You have bmade the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! cNothing is too difficult for You,

18 who ashows lovingkindness to thousands, but brepays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O cgreat and dmighty God. The eLord of hosts is His name;

19 agreat in counsel and mighty in deed, whose beyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, cgiving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;

20 who has aset signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have bmade a name for Yourself, as at this day.

21 ‘You abrought 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;

22 and gave them this land, which You aswore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.

23 ‘They acame in and took possession of it, but they bdid not obey Your voice or cwalk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made dall this calamity come upon them.

24 ‘Behold, the asiege ramps have reached the city to take it; and the city is bgiven into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the csword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken has dcome to pass; and behold, You see it.

25 ‘You have said to me, O Lord 1God, “Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses”—although the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”

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

27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the aGod of all flesh; is anything btoo difficult for Me?”

28 Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to agive this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it.

29 “The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and aset this city on fire and burn it, with the bhouses where people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.

30 “Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only aevil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only bprovoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares the Lord.

31 “Indeed this city has been to Me a aprovocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be bremoved from before My face,

32 because 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 akings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33 “They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, 1ateaching again and again, they would not listen 2and receive instruction.

34 “But they aput their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

35 “They built the ahigh places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to bMolech, which I had not commanded them nor had it 1entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36 “Now therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is agiven into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.’

37 “Behold, I will agather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and bmake them dwell in safety.

38 “They shall be aMy people, and I will be their God;

39 and I will agive them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own bgood and for the good of their children after them.

40 “I will make an aeverlasting covenant with them that I will bnot turn away from them, to do them good; and I will cput the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

41 “I will arejoice over them to do them good and will 1faithfully bplant them in this land with call My heart and with all My soul.

42 “For thus says the Lord, ‘aJust as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bbring on them all the good that I am promising them.

43 ‘aFields will be bought in this land of which you say, “bIt is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”

44 ‘Men will buy fields for money, 1asign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the bland of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the 2Negev; for I will crestore their 3fortunes,’ declares the Lord.”