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. ² 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.

³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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)

⁶ Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: ⁷ 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.’

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^(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; ⁹ 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:

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.”

Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confined^(A) in the courtyard^(B) of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:^(C)

¹⁵ They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten^(A) and imprisoned^(B) in the house^(C) of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

¹⁶ Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. ¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent^(D) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked^(E) him privately,^(F) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered^(G) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime^(H) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your prophets^(I) who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? ²⁰ But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”^(J)

²¹ King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread^(K) in the city was gone.^(L) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(M)

⁶ So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.^(A) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes^(B) into the cistern; it had no water in it,^(C) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.^(D)

⁷ But Ebed-Melek,^(E) a Cushite,^[a] an official^[b](F) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,^{(G) 8} Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,^(H) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread^(I) in the city.”

¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

¹¹ So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes^(J) to Jeremiah in the cistern. ¹² Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, ¹³ and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(K)

¹⁵ While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-Melek^(A) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words^(B) against this city—words concerning disaster,^(C) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. ¹⁷ But I will rescue^(D) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. ¹⁸ I will save^(E) you; you will not fall by the sword^(F) but will escape with your life,^(G) because you trust^(H) in me, declares the Lord.’”