Jeremiah 31:15-32:25

New International Version

¹⁵This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,^(A)
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,^(B)
    because they are no more.”^(C)

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears,^(D)
for your work will be rewarded,^(E)”
declares the Lord.
    “They will return^(F) from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷So there is hope^(G) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
    “Your children^(H) will return to their own land.

¹⁸“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined^(I) me like an unruly calf,^(J)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore^(K) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
¹⁹After I strayed,^(L)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat^(M) my breast.
I was ashamed^(N) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’^(O)
²⁰Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child^(P) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember^(Q) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion^(R) for him,”
declares the Lord.

²¹“Set up road signs;
    put up guideposts.^(S)
Take note of the highway,^(T)
    the road that you take.
Return,^(U) Virgin^(V) Israel,
    return to your towns.
²²How long will you wander,^(W)
    unfaithful^(X) Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing^(Y) on earth—
    the woman will return to^[a]^(Z) the man.”

²³This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,^[b]^(AA) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless^(AB) you, you prosperous city,^(AC) you sacred mountain.’^(AD) ²⁴People will live^(AE) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.^(AF) ²⁵I will refresh the weary^(AG) and satisfy the faint.”^(AH)

²⁶At this I awoke^(AI) and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

²⁷“The days are coming,”^(AJ) declares the Lord, “when I will plant^(AK) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸Just as I watched^(AL) over them to uproot^(AM) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,^(AN) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”^(AO) declares the Lord. ²⁹“In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents^(AP) have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’^(AQ)

³⁰Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;^(AR) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

³¹“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant^(AS)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³²It will not be like the covenant^(AT)
    I made with their ancestors^(AU)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,^(AV)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband^(AW) to^[c] them,^[d]”
declares the Lord.
³³“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds^(AX)
    and write it on their hearts.^(AY)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.^(AZ)
³⁴No longer will they teach^(BA) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know^(BB) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive^(BC) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins^(BD) no more.”

³⁵This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints^(BE) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,^(BF)
who stirs up the sea^(BG)
    so that its waves roar^(BH)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:^(BI)
³⁶“Only if these decrees^(BJ) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel^(BK) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

³⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured^(BL)
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject^(BM) all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

³⁸“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt^(BN) for me from the Tower of Hananel^(BO) to the Corner Gate.^(BP) ³⁹The measuring line^(BQ) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. ⁴⁰The whole valley^(BR) where dead bodies^(BS) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley^(BT) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,^(BU) will be holy^(BV) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Jeremiah Buys a Field

32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth^(BW) year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth^(BX) year of Nebuchadnezzar. ²The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging^(BY) Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined^(BZ) in the courtyard of the guard^(CA) in the royal palace of Judah.

³Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy^(CB) as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture^(CC) it. ⁴Zedekiah^(CD) king of Judah will not escape^(CE) the Babylonians^[e]^(CF) but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. ⁵He will take^(CG) Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,^(CH) declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”^(CI)

⁶Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: ⁷Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,^(CJ) because as nearest relative it is your right and duty^(CK) to buy it.’

⁸“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field^(CL) at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; ⁹so I bought the field^(CM) at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels^[f] of silver.^(CN) ¹⁰I signed and sealed the deed,^(CO) had it witnessed,^(CP) and weighed out the silver on the scales. ¹¹I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— ¹²and I gave this deed to Baruch^(CQ) son of Neriah,^(CR) the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

¹³“In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: ¹⁴‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed^(CS) and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. ¹⁵For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’^(CT)

¹⁶“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch^(CU) son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

¹⁷“Ah, Sovereign Lord,^(CV) you have made the heavens and the earth^(CW) by your great power and outstretched arm.^(CX) Nothing is too hard^(CY) for you. ¹⁸You show love^(CZ) to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps^(DA) of their children^(DB) after them. Great and mighty God,^(DC) whose name is the Lord Almighty,^(DD) ¹⁹great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.^(DE) Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;^(DF) you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.^(DG) ²⁰You performed signs and wonders^(DH) in Egypt^(DI) and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown^(DJ) that is still yours. ²¹You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand^(DK) and an outstretched arm^(DL) and with great terror.^(DM) ²²You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.^(DN) ²³They came in and took possession^(DO) of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;^(DP) they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster^(DQ) on them.

²⁴“See how the siege ramps^(DR) are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague,^(DS) the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said^(DT) has happened,^(DU) as you now see. ²⁵And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field^(DV) with silver and have the transaction witnessed.^(DW)’”