“1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of
Zedekiah king of Judah, which [was] the eighteenth year of
Nebuchadrezzar. 2 For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged
Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the
prison, which [was] in the king of Judah’s house. 3 For Zedekiah king of
Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say,
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the
king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4 And Zedekiah king of Judah
shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be
delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him
mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; 5 And he shall lead
Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the
LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper. 6 And
Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 7 Behold,
Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying,
Buy thee my field that [is] in Anathoth: for the right of redemption
[is] thine to buy [it]. 8 So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the
court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me,
Buy my field, I pray thee, that [is] in Anathoth, which [is] in the
country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance [is] thine, and the
redemption [is] thine; buy [it] for thyself. Then I knew that this [was]
the word of the LORD. 9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s
son, that [was] in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, [even] seventeen
shekels of silver. 10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed [it],
and took witnesses, and weighed [him] the money in the balances. 11 So I
took the evidence of the purchase, [both] that which was sealed
[according] to the law and custom, and that which was open: 12 And I
gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son
of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s [son], and in the
presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase,
before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. 13 And I
charged Baruch before them, saying, 14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the
God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both
which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an
earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. 15 For thus saith the
LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall
be possessed again in this land.”
“16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch
the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, 17 Ah Lord GOD!
behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and
stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee: 18 Thou
shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of
the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the
Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, [is] his name, 19 Great in counsel, and
mighty in work: for thine eyes [are] open upon all the ways of the sons
of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the
fruit of his doings: 20 Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of
Egypt, [even] unto this day, and in Israel, and among [other] men; and
hast made thee a name, as at this day; 21 And hast brought forth thy
people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and
with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;
22 And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their
fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23 And they
came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked
in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to
do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them: 24
Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city
is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because
of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou
hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest [it]. 25 And thou
hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take
witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
“26 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, 27 Behold, I
[am] the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
28 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the
hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon, and he shall take it: 29 And the Chaldeans, that fight against
this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the
houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured
out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger. 30 For the
children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before
me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to
anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD. 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 evil of the children of Israel and
of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger,
they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and
the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 And they have
turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising
up early and teaching [them], yet they have not hearkened to receive
instruction. 34 But they set their abominations in the house, which is
called by my name, to defile it. 35 And they built the high places of
Baal, which [are] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their
sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] unto Molech; which I
commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do
this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. 36 And now therefore thus saith
the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It
shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword,
and by the famine, and by the pestilence; 37 Behold, I will gather them
out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in
my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this
place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: 38 And they shall be my
people, and I will be their God: 39 And I will give them one heart, and
one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of
their children after them: 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant
with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 41
Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in
this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. 42 For
thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon
this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised
them. 43 And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, [It
is] desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the
Chaldeans. 44 Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences,
and seal [them], and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the
places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of
the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the
south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.”
(Jeremiah 32:1-44 AV)