This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah King of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem. and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard to the royal palace of Judah.
Now Zedekiah king of Judah. him there. saying,"Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, "This is what the LORD says; I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon. and he will capture it.
Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hands of the Babylons, but will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes.
He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Babylons you will not succeed.
Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me.
Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, "Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it."
"Then just as the LORD had said my cousin Hananel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said,"Buy my field at Anathoth in thet erritory of Benjamin, Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.""I knew thjat this was the word of the LORD;
so I bought tjhe field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver.
I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weigned out the silver on the scales.
I took thed eed of purchase- the seal;ed copy containing the terms and conditions , as well as the unsealed copy
and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witneses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in thje courtyard of the guard
"In their presnce I gave Baruch these instructions
This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel ,says Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed will last a long time
For this is waht the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,says Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.'
"After I had given the deed of purchase to Raruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD.
"Ah Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and thee arth by yoyr great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers sins into the laps of their children after them, O great and powerful God. whose name is the LORD Almighty.
great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds, Your eyes are open to all the ways of men, you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve.
You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours.
You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and withg reat terror.
You gave them this land you had sworn to give their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.
They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law, they did not obey you of follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do, So you brought all this disaster upon them.
"See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see.
And though the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, you , O Sovereign LORD, say to me, "Buy the field with silver and have the transaaction witnessed."
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah,
"I am the LORD ,the God of all mankind, Is city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight anything too hard for me?
Therefore this is what the LORD says, I am about to hand this city over to the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture.it.
The Babylonisans who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people provoked me to anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.
"The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing biut provoke me with what their hands have made declares the LORD.
From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused mya nger and wrath that I must remove it from mu sight.
The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done- they their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem.
They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.
They set up their abominable idols in the house that bears my Name andd efiled it.
They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
"You are saying about this city, By the sword famine and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babuylon; but this is what the LORD, the God of Israel,says;
I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.
They will be my people and I will be their God.
I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.
I will make an everlasting covenant with them; I will never stop doing good to them, and I will ispire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
"This is what the LORD, says. As I have brought all this great calamity on this people. so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.
Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say,"It is a has been handed over to the Babylonians."
Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the teritory of Benjamin, in this villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the Negev. because I will restore their fortunes declares the LORD."