Jeremiah 32
32
Pledge of Restoration.#This chapter recounts a prophecy “in action.” At the Lord’s command, Jeremiah fulfills his family duty to purchase the land of his cousin, carrying out all the legal details, even putting the deed away for safekeeping against the day he will have to produce it to verify his ownership of the land. The Lord defines the meaning of this symbolic action: In the future, Judah will be restored and daily life will return to normal. 1The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah,#The tenth year of Zedekiah: 588 B.C. The eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar: dating his reign from his victory at Carchemish; see note on 25:1–14. king of Judah, the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, while Jeremiah the prophet was confined to the court of the guard, in the house of the king of Judah.#Jer 33:1; 37:20; 38:6; 39:14. 3Zedekiah, king of Judah, had confined him there, saying: “How dare you prophesy: Thus says the Lord: I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon that he may capture it.#Jer 26:9; 34:2; 37:6–10. 4Zedekiah, king of Judah, shall not escape the hands of the Chaldeans: he shall indeed be handed over to the king of Babylon. He shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.#Jer 34:3; 38:18, 23; 39:4–7. 5He shall take Zedekiah to Babylon. There he shall remain, until I attend to him—oracle of the Lord. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you cannot win!”#Jer 39:7; 52:11.
6#Jeremiah’s imprisonment by the weak-willed Zedekiah was a technical custody that did not deprive him of all freedom of action. Jeremiah said, This word came to me from the Lord: 7Hanamel, son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you with the offer:#Lv 25:24–34; Ru 4:4. “Purchase my field in Anathoth, since you, as nearest relative, have the first right of purchase.”#The first right of purchase: the obligation of the closest relative to redeem the property of a family member in economic distress so that the ancestral land remains within the family (Lv 25:25–28); see note on Ru 2:20. 8And, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard and said, “Please purchase my field in Anathoth, in the territory of Benjamin; as nearest relative, you have the first right of possession—purchase it for yourself.” Then I knew this was the word of the Lord. 9So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, weighing out for him the silver, seventeen shekels of silver.
10When I had written and sealed the deed, called witnesses and weighed out the silver on the scales, 11I accepted the deed of purchase, both the sealed copy, containing title and conditions, and the open copy.#The sealed copy…and the open copy: the legal deed of sale was written on a scroll, which was then rolled up and sealed; a second scroll containing a copy of the legal deed was then rolled around it and left unsealed so the contents of the legal deed would be accessible without destroying the original seal. 12I gave this deed of purchase to Baruch, son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase and before all the Judahites sitting around in the court of the guard.#Jer 36:4.
13In their presence I gave Baruch this charge: 14Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds of purchase, both the sealed and the open deeds, and put them in an earthenware jar,#In an earthenware jar: to protect the scroll from drying out and disintegrating. Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in such jars. so they can last a long time. 15For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: They shall again purchase houses and fields and vineyards in this land.
16After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: 17Ah, my Lord God! You made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm; nothing is too difficult for you.#2 Kgs 19:15; Jb 42:2. 18You continue your kindness through a thousand generations; but you repay the ancestors’ guilt upon their children who follow them. Great and mighty God, whose name is Lord of hosts,#Ex 20:5–6; 34:6; Dt 5:9. 19great in counsel, mighty in deed, whose eyes are fixed on all the ways of mortals, giving to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds:#Jb 34:21; Ps 33:13–15. 20you performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and to this day, in Israel and among all peoples, you have made a name for yourself as on this day.#Ex 6:6; Dt 4:34; Ps 135:9. 21You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and great terror. 22And you gave them this land, as you had sworn to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.#Jer 11:5; Gn 15:18; 17:8; 26:3. 23They went in and took possession of it, but they did not listen to your voice. They did not live by your law; they did not do anything you commanded them to do. Then you made all this evil fall upon them.#Jer 7:24–26; Dn 9:10–14. 24See, the siegeworks have arrived at this city to capture it; the city is handed over to the Chaldeans who are attacking it, with sword, starvation, and disease. What you threatened has happened—you can see it for yourself.#Jer 21:5; 33:4. 25Yet you told me, my Lord God: Purchase the field with silver and summon witnesses, when the city has already been handed over to the Chaldeans!
26Then this word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27I am the Lord, the God of all the living! Is anything too difficult for me? 28Therefore the Lord says: I am handing over this city to the Chaldeans and to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. 29The Chaldeans who are attacking this city shall go in and set the city on fire, burning it and the houses, on whose roofs incense was burned to Baal and libations were poured out to other gods in order to provoke me.#Jer 21:10; 37:8–10. 30From their youth the Israelites and the Judahites have been doing only what is evil in my eyes; the Israelites have been provoking me with the works of their hands—oracle of the Lord.#Jer 3:25; 44:8. 31This city has so stirred my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, that I must put it out of my sight, 32for all the evil the Israelites and Judahites have done to provoke me—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.#Jer 2:26; Is 3:8. 33They turned their backs to me, not their faces; though I taught them persistently, they would not listen or accept correction.#Jer 7:24. 34Instead they set up their abominations in the house which bears my name in order to defile it.#Jer 7:30; 2 Kgs 21:4–5. 35They built high places to Baal in the Valley of Ben-hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech;#Molech: a god to whom human sacrifice was offered in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. Here, as in 19:5, he is called “Baal”; see note on Lv 18:21. I never commanded them to do this, nor did it even enter my mind that they would practice this abomination, so as to bring sin upon Judah.#Jer 7:31; 19:5; Ps 106:37–38.
36Now, therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city, which you say is being handed over to the king of Babylon by means of the sword, starvation, and disease: 37See, I am gathering them from all the lands to which I drove them in my rising fury and great anger; I will bring them back to this place and settle them here in safety.#Jer 23:3; 29:14; Is 11:12; Ez 11:17. 38They shall be my people, and I will be their God.#Jer 24:7; 31:33. 39I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me always, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40With them I will make an everlasting covenant, never to cease doing good to them; I will put fear of me in their hearts so that they never turn away from me.#Jer 31:31–33. 41I will take delight in doing good to them: I will plant them firmly in this land, with all my heart and soul.#Dt 30:9.
42For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought upon this people all this great evil, so I will bring upon them all the good I have promised them.#Jer 33:10–14; Zec 8:13. 43Fields shall be purchased in this land, about which you say, “It is a wasteland, without human beings or animals, handed over to the Chaldeans.”#Jer 33:10. 44They will purchase fields with silver, write up deeds, seal them, and have them witnessed in the land of Benjamin, in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah and of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah and the Negeb, when I restore their fortunes—oracle of the Lord.#Jer 17:26; 33:7.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Jeremiah 32
32
Jeremiah Buys a Field
1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah the king of Judah, that was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was laying siege to Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3where Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had confined him, saying,#Literally “to say” “Why are you prophesying, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it, 4and Zedekiah, the king of Judah, will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but surely he will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak face to face with him#Literally “his mouth shall speak with his mouth” and he will see him eye to eye,#Literally “his eyes shall see his eyes” 5and to Babylon he will bring Zedekiah, and there he will be until my attending to him,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not be successful” ’?”
6And Jeremiah said, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 7‘Look, Hanamel, the son of Shallum, your uncle, is going to come to you, saying,#Literally “to say” “Buy for yourself my field that is at Anathoth, for you have#Literally “to you is” the right of redemption to buy it.” ’#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 8Then Hanamel, the son of my uncle, came to me, to the courtyard of the guard according to#Literally “as” the word of Yahweh, and he said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is at Anathoth, that is in the land of Benjamin, for to you is the claim of possession, and to you the redemption; buy it#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of Yahweh.
9And I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle, that was at Anathoth. And I weighed out to him the money, seventeen silver shekels. 10And I signed on the letter#Or “scroll” and sealed it,#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and I called witnesses as witness, and I weighed out the money on a set of scales. 11Then I took the deed#Or “scroll” of the purchase, the sealed copy containing the commandments#Hebrew “commandment” and the rules, together with the one that was open. 12And I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of#Literally “before the eyes of” Hanamel, the son of my uncle, and in the presence of#Literally “before the eyes of” the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, in the presence of#Literally “before the eyes of” the Judeans#Hebrew “Judean” who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13And I commanded Baruch in their presence,#Literally “before their eyes” saying,#Literally “to say” 14‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds,#Or “scrolls” this deed of the purchase, the sealed one, and this opened deed, and you must put them in an earthenware jar#Literally “jar of earthenware” so that they may be kept preserved many days.” 15For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’
16And I prayed to Yahweh—after giving my deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah—saying,#Literally “to say” 17‘Ah Lord Yahweh! Look, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. Nothing#Literally “Not all a thing” is too difficult for you, 18showing loyal love to the thousands, and repaying the guilt of parents#Literally “fathers” into the laps#Hebrew “lap” of their children after them. Powerful, great, mighty, his name is Yahweh of hosts, 19great in counsel and great in deed, whose eyes are opened to all the ways of the children of humankind, to give to each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds, 20who accomplished signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, up to this day, and in Israel, and among humankind, and you have made for yourself a name, as it is this day.
21And you brought out your people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an arm stretched out, and with great terror. 22And you gave to them this land, which you swore to their ancestors#Or “fathers” to give to them, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23And they entered and took possession of it, but they did not listen to your voice, and they did not follow your law. They did nothing of all that you commanded to them to do, and you caused to happen to them all this disaster. 24Look, the siege ramps have come up to the city to capture it, and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it, because of the sword, the famine, and the plague, and what you spoke happened, and look, you are seeing it.#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation 25Yet you have said to me, Lord Yahweh, “Buy for yourself the field with the money, and call witnesses as witness,” though the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”
26And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,#Literally “to say” 27“Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything#Literally “all thing” too difficult for me?” 28Therefore#Literally “To thus” thus says Yahweh: “Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29And the Chaldeans, who are fighting against this city, will come and set this city on fire, and they will burn it, and the houses where they have made smoke offerings on their roofs to Baal, and where they have devoted libations to other gods, in order to provoke me to anger. 30For the people#Or “sons/children” of Israel and the people#Or “sons/children” of Judah were doing only evil in my eyes from their youth, for the people#Or “sons/children” of Israel were only provoking me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
31“For this city has been for me a cause of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even until this day, so I will remove it from my sight,#Literally “face” 32because of all the evil of the people#Or “sons/children” of Israel and the people#Or “sons/children” of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, and the men#Hebrew “man” of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33And they have turned to me their backs#Hebrew “back” and not their faces, though I have taught them over and over again,#Literally “I have taught them doing early and teaching” but they were not listening to accept discipline. 34And they set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35And they built the high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to present as offerings their sons and their daughters to Molech, which I had not commanded them, and it had not come to my mind#Literally “heart” to do this detestable thing in order to cause Judah to sin.”
36“So now therefore,#Literally “to thus” thus says Yahweh, 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 plague’: 37Look, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I driven them in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell in safety.#Literally “with confidence” 38And they will be for me a people, and I will be for them God. 39And I will give to them one heart and one way, to revere me forever,#Literally “all the days” for good to them, and to their children after them. 40And I will make#Literally “cut” with them an everlasting covenant#Literally “a covenant of eternity” that I will not turn away from them, my doing good to them, and my reverence I will put in their hearts#Hebrew “heart” so that they will not turn aside from me. 41And I will rejoice over them to do good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness with all my heart, and with all my inner self.”#Or “soul”
42“For thus says Yahweh, ‘Just as I have brought to this people all this great disaster, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise to them. 43And the fields#Hebrew “field” will be bought in this land of which you are saying, “It is a desolation, without humankind or animals.#Literally “from there is not humankind and animal” It has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44They will buy fields with money, and they will sign the deeds,#Hebrew “scroll” and they will seal them,#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and they will call witnesses as witness in the land of Benjamin, and in the surroundings of 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 restore their fortunes,’#Hebrew “fortune” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.”
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