Jeremiah 32:7-16

7‘Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to visit you. He will say to you, “I want you to buy my field in Anathoth. The law says that I should offer it to you first, because you are my relative.” ’

8This happened as the Lord had said it would happen. My cousin Hanamel came to visit me in the prison. He said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin's tribe. I offer it to you first, as my relative. So you can buy it for yourself.’ When this happened, I realized I had really heard the Lord's message.

9So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed 17 shekels of silver to pay him for it.

10I wrote my name on a piece of paper to show that I had bought the land. Some men watched as I did this, to agree to the sale. I closed the paper with a seal. Then I gave Hanamel the silver that I had weighed.

11I took the paper with the seal, and also a copy of it that had no seal. The agreement about the sale of land was written on those pieces of paper.

12I gave both pieces of paper to Baruch, the son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. Hanamel watched me as I did this, as well as the men who had written their names on the paper. The people of Judah who were there in the guards' yard also watched me.

13While all those people listened, I said to Baruch,

14‘The Lord Almighty, Israel's God says, “Take these two pieces of paper that have the agreement about the sale of land. Take the piece that has a seal on it and the piece without a seal. Put them both in a clay jar to keep them safe for a long time.”

15The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says, “A time will come when people in this land again buy houses, fields and vineyards.” ’

16After I had given Baruch the pieces of paper about the sale of land, I prayed to the Lord.