Jeremiah Buys Hanamel’s Field

1The word that came to be to Jeremiah from YHWH in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighth year and tenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2And then the army of the king of Babylon was pressing upon Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard that was in the house of the king of Judah.

3For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why are you prophesying, saying, thus says YHWH: ‘Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it. 4And Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans,† but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face, and will see him eye to eye; 5and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon and there he will be until I visit him, a declaration of YHWH. If you⁺ fight against the Chaldeans, you⁺ will not succeed.’

6And Jeremiah said: “The word of YHWH came to me, saying: 7Behold, Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, ‘Buy for yourself my field that is in Anathoth, for unto you is the right of redemption to buy it. 8And Hanamel son of my uncle came to me, according to the word of YHWH, in the court of the guard, and he said to me: ‘Buy now my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin. For unto you is the right of inheritance, and unto you the redemption; buy it for yourself.’”

And I knew that it was the word of YHWH.

9And I bought the field that was in Anathoth from Hanamel son of my uncle, and I weighed out for him the silver, seven shekels and ten of silver.† 10And I wrote in the account and sealed it, and I took witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11And I took the account of the purchase—that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open— 12and I gave the account of the purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, before Hanamel of my uncle, and before the witnesses having written in the account of the purchase, and before all the Jews sitting in the court of the guard.

13And I commanded Baruch before their eyes, saying: 14“Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel: Take these accounts, this account of the purchase—that which is sealed and this account that is open—and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may stand many days. 15For thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel: Again houses and fields and vineyards will be possessed in this land.”

Jeremiah Prays for Understanding

16And I prayed to YHWH after I had delivered the account of the purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, saying: 17“Ah Lord YHWH! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is not anything too difficult for You—

18showing loving devotion to thousands and recompensing the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O God great and Mighty—YHWH of Hosts is His name— 19great in counsel and mighty in deed. Your eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give to each man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his deeds.

20You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt to this day, and in Israel, and among men; and You have made for Yourself a name, as at this day.

21And You have brought forth Your people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror. 22And You gave to them this land that You swore to their fathers to give to them, a land flowing with milk and honey.

23And they came in and possessed it, and they did not listen to Your voice, and in Your law they did not walk. All that You commanded them to do they have not done. And so You made to befall them all this evil. 24Behold! The siege ramps have come to the city to take it, and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it, by the face of the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence. And that which You have spoken has come to pass—and behold, You are seeing it!

25And You have said to me, O Lord YHWH, ‘Buy for yourself the field with silver, to testify and cause witnesses—even though the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’”

Yahweh Answers Jeremiah

26And the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah, saying: 27“Behold, I am YHWH, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?

28Therefore thus says YHWH: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. 29And the Chaldeans fighting against this city will come in, and they will set this city on fire and will burn it, along with the houses on whose roofs they offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods so as to provoke Me to anger.

30For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been only doing evil from their youth in My eyes; for the sons of Israel surely have provoked Me to anger by the work of their hands! A declaration of YHWH.

31For upon My anger and My fury this city has been unto Me from the day that they built it even to this day, and I will turn it aside from before My face, 32because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons 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 those dwelling in Jerusalem. 33And they have turned to Me the neck and not the face, though I taught them, rising up early and teaching, and they have not listened to receive instruction.

34And they set their abominations in the house upon which My name is called, to defile it. 35And they built the high places of Baal, that are in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, to make their daughters and their sons pass through unto Molech—which I did not command them, and it did not come upon My heart that they should do this abomination, so as to cause Judah to sin.

A Promise of Restoration
(Ezekiel 11:13–21)

36And now, therefore, thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you⁺ are saying, ‘It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence:’ 37Behold, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I have driven them there in My anger and in My fury and in great wrath, and I will return them to this place, and I will cause them to dwell in safety. 38And they will be unto Me for a people, and I will be unto them God.† 39And I will give to them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me all the days, for the good of them and of their sons after them.

40And I will make with them a covenant forever, that I will not turn away from them My doing good, and My fear I will put in their hearts, and that they will not turn aside from Me. 41And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in truth, with all My heart and with all My soul.

42For thus says YHWH: As I have brought to this people all this great evil, so I am bringing in upon them all the good that I am speaking over them. 43And it will be bought—the field in this land of which you⁺ say, ‘It is desolate with no man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ 44They will buy fields for money and sign accounts and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the Shephelah,† and in the cities of the Negev; for I will turn back their captivity,† a declaration of YHWH.”