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32 The Davar that came to Yirmeyah from Hashem in the tenth year of Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah, which was the eighteenth year of Nevuchadretzar.

For then the army of Melech Bavel besieged Yerushalayim; and Yirmeyah HaNavi was imprisoned in the Khatzer (courtyard) of the Guard, which was in Bais Melech Yehudah.

For Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah had imprisoned him, saying, Why dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith Hashem, Hineni, I will give this city into the yad Melech Bavel, and he shall capture it;

And Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah shall not escape out of the yad of the Kasdim (Chaldeans), but shall surely be delivered into the yad Melech Bavel, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eynayim shall behold his eynayim;

And he shall lead Tzidkiyah to Bavel, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith Hashem; though ye fight against the Kasdim (Chaldeans), ye shall not succeed.

And Yirmeyah said, The Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

Hinei, Chanam’el Ben Shallum thine dod (uncle) shall come unto thee saying, Buy thee my sadeh that is in Anatot: for the mishpat haGeulah (right of Redemption) is thine to buy it.

So Chanam’el ben dodi came to me in the Khatzer (court) of the Guard according to the Devar Hashem, and said unto me, Buy my sadeh, now, that is in Anatot, which is in Eretz Binyamin; for the mishpat hayerushah (right of possession) is thine, and the geulah (redemption) is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the Devar Hashem.

And I bought the sadeh of Chanam’el ben dodi, that was in Anatot, and weighed him out the kesef, even seventeen shekels of kesef.

10 And I signed the sefer (deed), and sealed it, and took edim (witnesses), and weighed him out the kesef on the scales.

11 So I took the sefer hamikneh (deed of purchase), both that which was sealed according to the mitzvah and chukkim, and that which was the unsealed copy:

12 And I gave the sefer hamikneh unto Baruch Ben Neriyah Ben Ma’aseiyah, in the sight of Chanam’el my cousin, and in the presence of the edim that signed the sefer hamikneh, before all the Yehudim that sat in the khatzer (courtyard) of the prison.

13 And I charged Baruch before their eyes, saying,

14 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Take these sefarim, this sefer hamikneh, both which is sealed, and this sefer which is unsealed; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last yamim rabbim.

15 For thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Batim (houses) and sadot (fields) and kramim (vineyards) shall be bought again in this land.

16 Now when I had delivered the sefer hamikneh unto Baruch Ben Neriyah, I davened unto Hashem, saying,

17 Ah Adonoi Hashem! Hinei, Thou hast made the Shomayim and the Eretz by Thy koach hagadol and Thy outstretched zero’a, and there is nothing too difficult for Thee;

18 Thou showest chesed unto alafim, and recompensest avon avot into the kheyk of their banim after them; HaEl HaGadol HaGibbor Hashem Tzva’os Shmo,

19 Gadol in etzah (counsel), and mighty in deed; for Thine eynayim are open upon all the drakhim of Bnei Adam; to give everyone according to his drakhim, and according to the fruit of his doings;

20 Which hast set otot and mofetim in Eretz Mitzrayim, even unto this day, and in Yisroel, and among adam (mankind); and hast made Thee a Shem, as at this day;

21 And hast brought forth Thy people Yisroel out of Eretz Mitzrayim with otot, and with mofetim, and with a yad chazakah, and with an outstretched zero’a, and with great terror;

22 And hast given them this land, which Thou didst swear to their avot to give them, eretz zavat cholov udevash;

23 And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not Thy voice, neither walked in Thy torah; they have done nothing of all that Thou commandedst them to do; therefore Thou hast caused all this ra’ah to come upon them.

24 Hinei, the siege ramps, they are come unto the Ir to take it; and the Ir is given into the yad of the Kasdim (Chaldeans), that fight against it, because of the cherev, and of the ra’av, and of the dever; and what Thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, Thou seest it.

25 And Thou hast said unto me, O Adonoi Hashem, Buy thee the sadeh for kesef, and take edim (witnesses); for the Ir is given into the yad of the Kasdim (Chaldeans).

26 Then came the Devar Hashem unto Yirmeyah, saying,

27 Hinei, I am Hashem Elohei Kol Basar; is there any thing too difficult for Me?

28 Therefore thus saith Hashem: Hineni, I will give this city into the yad of the Kasdim (Chaldeans), and into the yad of Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel, and he shall capture it;

29 And the Kasdim (Chaldeans), that fight against this city, shall come and set eish to this city, and burn it with the batim (houses), upon whose gagot (roofs) they have offered ketoret unto Ba’al, and poured out nesakhim (drink offerings) unto elohim acherim, to provoke Me to anger.

30 For the Bnei Yisroel and the Bnei Yehudah have only done rah (evil) before Me from their youth; for the Bnei Yisroel have only provoked Me to anger with the work of their hands, saith Hashem.

31 For this city hath been to Me as a provocation of Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before My face,

32 Because of all the ra’ah of the Bnei Yisroel and of the Bnei Yehudah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger, they, their melachim, their sarim, their kohanim, and their nevi’im, and the Ish Yehudah, and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.

33 And they have turned unto Me the oref (back), and not the panim; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not paid heed to receive musar.

34 But they set their shikkutzim (abominations) in the Beis [Hamikdash], which is called by Shmi, to make it tameh (unclean).

35 And they built the high places of Ba’al, which are in the Gey Ben Hinnom, to cause their banim and their banot to pass through the eish unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My lev, that they should do this toe’vah (abomination) to cause Yehudah to sin.

36 And now therefore thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the yad Melech Bavel by the cherev, and by the ra’av and by the dever;

37 Hineni, I will gather them out of all countries, where I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them back unto this makom, and I will cause them to dwell securely;

38 And they shall be My people, and I will be their Elohim;

39 And I will give them lev echad (one heart), and derech echad (one way), that they may fear Me kol hayamim, for the tov of them, and of their banim after them;

40 And I will make a Brit Olam with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.

41 Indeed, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land b’emes with all My lev and with all My nefesh.

42 For thus saith Hashem; Just as I have brought all this ra’ah hagedolah upon this people, so will I bring upon them kol hatovah that I have promised them.

43 And sadeh shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without adam or behemah; it is given into the yad of the Kasdim (Chaldeans).

44 Sadot (fields) will be bought for kesef, and the sefer (deed) will be signed and sealed and witnessed in Eretz Binyamin, and in the places around Yerushalayim, and in the towns of Yehudah, and the towns of the hill country, and in the towns of the Shephelah, and in the towns of the Negev; for I will cause their captivity to return, saith Hashem.

Jeremiah Buys a Field

32 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth(A) year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth(B) year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging(C) Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined(D) in the courtyard of the guard(E) in the royal palace of Judah.

Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy(F) 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(G) it. Zedekiah(H) king of Judah will not escape(I) the Babylonians[a](J) 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. He will take(K) Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him,(L) declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”(M)

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,(N) because as nearest relative it is your right and duty(O) to buy it.’

“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field(P) 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; so I bought the field(Q) at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels[b] of silver.(R) 10 I signed and sealed the deed,(S) had it witnessed,(T) and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch(U) son of Neriah,(V) 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(W) and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’(X)

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

17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,(Z) you have made the heavens and the earth(AA) by your great power and outstretched arm.(AB) Nothing is too hard(AC) for you. 18 You show love(AD) to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps(AE) of their children(AF) after them. Great and mighty God,(AG) whose name is the Lord Almighty,(AH) 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds.(AI) Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind;(AJ) you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.(AK) 20 You performed signs and wonders(AL) in Egypt(AM) and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown(AN) that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand(AO) and an outstretched arm(AP) and with great terror.(AQ) 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.(AR) 23 They came in and took possession(AS) of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law;(AT) they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster(AU) on them.

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

26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.(BB) Is anything too hard for me?(BC) 28 Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar(BD) king of Babylon, who will capture it.(BE) 29 The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down,(BF) along with the houses(BG) where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings(BH) to other gods.(BI)

30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth;(BJ) indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger(BK) with what their hands have made,(BL) declares the Lord. 31 From the day it was built until now, this city(BM) has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove(BN) it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have provoked(BO) me by all the evil(BP) they have done—they, their kings and officials,(BQ) their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33 They turned their backs(BR) to me and not their faces; though I taught(BS) them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.(BT) 34 They set up their vile images(BU) in the house that bears my Name(BV) and defiled(BW) it. 35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(BX) to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek,(BY) though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind(BZ)—that they should do such a detestable(CA) thing and so make Judah sin.(CB)

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague(CC) it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather(CD) them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger(CE) and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.(CF) 38 They will be my people,(CG) and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness(CH) of heart and action, so that they will always fear(CI) me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant(CJ) with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire(CK) them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.(CL) 41 I will rejoice(CM) in doing them good(CN) and will assuredly plant(CO) them in this land with all my heart and soul.(CP)

42 “This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity(CQ) on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised(CR) them. 43 Once more fields will be bought(CS) in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate(CT) waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44 Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds(CU) will be signed, sealed and witnessed(CV) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,(CW) because I will restore(CX) their fortunes,[c] declares the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43
  2. Jeremiah 32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams
  3. Jeremiah 32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity