1The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah , which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar . 2Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem ; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard , which was in the king of Judah ’s house . 3For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up , saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy , and say, Thus saith Jehovah , Behold , I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it ; 4and 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 ; 5and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him , saith Jehovah : though ye fight with the Chaldeans , ye shall not prosper ? 6And Jeremiah said , The word of Jehovah came unto me , saying , 7Behold , Hanamel 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 . 8So Hanamel mine uncle ’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of Jehovah , and said unto me , Buy my field , I pray thee , that is in Anathoth , which is in the land 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 Jehovah . 9And I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel mine uncle ’s son , and weighed him the money , even seventeen shekels of silver . 10And I subscribed the deed , and sealed it , and called witnesses , and weighed him the money in the balances . 11So I took the deed of the purchase , both that which was sealed , according to the law and custom , and that which was open : 12and I delivered the deed of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah , the son of Mahseiah , in the presence of Hanamel mine uncle ’s son , and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the deed of the purchase , before all the Jews that sat in the court of the guard . 13And I charged Baruch before them , saying, 14Thus saith Jehovah of hosts , the God of Israel : Take these deeds , this deed of the purchase which is sealed , and this deed which is open , and put them in an earthen vessel ; that they may continue many days . 15For thus saith Jehovah of hosts , the God of Israel : Houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land .
Jeremiah's Prayer
16Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah , I prayed unto Jehovah , saying, 17Ah Lord Jehovah ! behold , thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm ; there is nothing too hard for thee , 18who showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them ; the great , the mighty God , Jehovah of hosts is his name ; 19great in counsel , and mighty in work ; whose 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 ; 20who didst set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt , even unto this day , both in Israel and among other men ; and madest thee a name , as at this day ; 21and didst bring forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders , and with a strong hand , and with an outstretched arm , and with great terror ; 22and gavest them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them , a land flowing with milk and honey ; 23and 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 . 24Behold , the mounds, 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 . 25And thou hast said unto me , O Lord Jehovah , Buy thee the field for money , and call witnesses ; whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans .
God's Assurance of Restoration
26Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah , saying , 27Behold , I am Jehovah , the God of all flesh : is there anything too hard for me ? 28Therefore thus saith Jehovah : 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 : 29and the Chaldeans , that fight against this city , shall come and set this city on fire , 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 . 30For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth ; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands , saith Jehovah . 31For this city hath been to me a provocation of mine anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even unto this day ; that I should remove it from before my face , 32because 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 . 33And they have turned unto me the back , and not the face : and though I taught them , rising up early and teaching them , yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction . 34But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name , to defile it . 35And 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 . 36And now therefore thus saith Jehovah , the God of Israel , concerning this city , whereof ye say , It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword , and by the famine , and by the pestilence : 37Behold , I will gather them out of all the countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger , and in my wrath , and in great indignation ; and I will bring them again unto this place , and I will cause them to dwell safely. 38And they shall be my people , and I will be their God: 39and 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 : 40and I will make an everlasting covenant with them , that I will not turn away from following them , to do them good ; and I will put my fear in their hearts , that they may not depart from me . 41Yea, 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 . 42For thus saith Jehovah : 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 . 43And 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 . 44Men shall buy fields for money , and subscribe the deeds , and seal them , and call witnesses , in the land of Benjamin , and in the places about Jerusalem , and in the cities of Judah , and in the cities of the hill-country, and in the cities of the lowland , and in the cities of the South : for I will cause their captivity to return , saith Jehovah .