Jeremiah 32:1-25

1The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah during Zedekiah’s tenth year as king of Judah. (This was Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year as king.)

2At that time the army of the king of Babylon was blockading Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah was locked up in the courtyard of the prison. This prison was in the palace of the king of Judah.

3When King Zedekiah of Judah locked up Jeremiah, Zedekiah asked him, “Why are you prophesying? You are saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.

4King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He will talk to Nebuchadnezzar in person and look him in the eye.

5Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and Zedekiah will stay there until I deal with him, declares the Lord. When you fight the Babylonians, you won’t win.’ ”

6Jeremiah said, “The Lord spoke his word to me. He said,

7‘Jeremiah, your cousin Hanamel, son of Shallum, is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth, because as the closest relative it is your responsibility to buy it.” ’

8“Then, as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the prison. He said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. It is your responsibility to purchase it, because the rights of the closest relative belong to you. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that the Lord had spoken to me.

9“So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and gave him the money. The field cost seven ounces of silver.

10I signed the deed, sealed it, had people witness the signing of the deed, and paid out the silver.

11Then I took the sealed copy of the deed, containing the terms and conditions, as well as an unsealed copy.

12I gave the copies of the deeds to Baruch, son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I did this in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who had signed the deed and in the presence of all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the prison.

13Then I gave Baruch these orders:

14‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Take both of these documents, both the sealed and the unsealed copies of the deed. Put them in a clay jar so that they will last a long time.

15This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: My people will again buy houses, fields, and vineyards in this land.’

16“After I had given the copies to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord. I prayed,

17‘Almighty Lord, you made heaven and earth by your great strength and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

18You show mercy to thousands of generations. However, you punish children for the wickedness of their parents. You, God, are great and mighty. Your name is the Lord of Armies.

19You make wise plans and do mighty things. You see everything the descendants of Adam do. You reward them for the way they live and for what they do.

20You performed miraculous signs and amazing things in Egypt. To this day you are still doing them in Israel. You made a name for yourself that continues to this day.

21You brought your people from Egypt with miraculous signs and amazing things, with a mighty hand and a powerful arm, and with great terror.

22You gave them the land that you swore with an oath to give their ancestors, the land flowing with milk and honey.

23They entered and took possession of it. However, they refused to obey you or to follow your teachings. They didn’t do anything you commanded them to do, so you brought all this disaster on them.

24“ ‘See how the dirt ramps have been built up around the city to capture it! Because of wars, famines, and plagues, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you have threatened to do has happened, as you can see.

25Yet you, Almighty Lord, told me to buy a field with money and get witnesses to confirm it, although the city was handed over to the Babylonians.’ ”