Jeremiah 32
Jeremiah’s Land Purchase
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah a king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. b 2At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the guard’s courtyard c in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to hand this city over to Babylon’s king, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the Chaldeans; indeed, he will certainly be handed over to Babylon’s king. They will speak face to face ▼▼Lit His mouth will speak with his mouth
and meet eye to eye. e 5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon where he will stay until I attend to him’ – this is the Lord’s declaration. ‘You will fight the Chaldeans, but you will not succeed’?” f 6 Jeremiah replied, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Watch! Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy my field in Anathoth g for yourself, for you own the right of redemption h to buy it.’ 8“Then my cousin Hanamel came to the guard’s courtyard as the Lord had said and urged me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out to him the money i – 17 ▼▼shekel(s): In the OT the shekel is a measurement of weight that came to be used as money, either gold or silver.
shekels ▼▼About 7 ounces
of silver. 10I recorded it on a scroll, l sealed it, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver in the scales. 11I took the purchase agreement – the sealed copy with its terms and conditions and the open copy – 12and gave the purchase agreement to Baruch m son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah. I did this in the sight of my cousin ▼▼Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read uncle
Hanamel, the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement, and all the Judeans sitting in the guard’s courtyard. 13“I instructed Baruch in their sight, 14‘This is what the Lord of ▼▼Hosts/hosts: Military forces consisting of God's angels, sometimes including the sun, moon, and stars, and occasionally, Israel
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Take these scrolls – this purchase agreement with the sealed copy and this open copy – and put them in an earthen storage jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ p 16 “After I had given the purchase agreement to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: 17 Oh, Lord God! You Yourself made the heavens and earth q by Your great power r and with Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You! 18You show faithful love to thousands but lay the fathers’ sins on their sons’ laps after them, s great and mighty God t whose name is ▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.
Yahweh of Hosts, 19the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men in order to give to each person according to his ways and the result of his deeds. v 20You performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt w and do so to this very day both in Israel and among mankind. You made a name x for Yourself, as is the case today. 21You brought Your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror. y 22You gave them this land You swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. z 23They entered and possessed it, but they did not obey Your voice or live according to Your instructions. aa They failed to perform all You commanded them to do, ab and so You have brought all this disaster on them. 24 Look! Siege ramps ac have come against the city to capture it, and the city, as a result of the sword, famine, and plague, has been handed over to the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened. Look, You can see it! 25Yet You, Lord God, have said to me: Buy the field with silver and call in witnesses – even though the city has been handed over to the Chaldeans!” 26Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh. ad Is anything too difficult for Me? 28 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the Chaldeans, ae to Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar, and he will capture it. 29The Chaldeans who are going to fight against this city will come, set this city on fire, and burn it along with the houses where incense has been burned to ▼▼Baal: A fertility god who was the main god of the Canaanite religion and the god of rain and thunderstorms; also the Hebrew word meaning "lord," "master," "owner," or "husband"
Baal on their rooftops and where ▼▼drink offering: An offering of a specified amount of wine or beer given along with animal sacrifices; it was poured over the sacrifice before it was burned.
drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to provoke Me to anger. ah 30 From their youth, the Israelites and Judeans have done nothing but what is evil in My sight! They have done nothing but provoke Me to anger by the work of their hands” ai – this is the Lord’s declaration – 31 “for this city has caused My wrath and fury from the day it was built until now. I will therefore remove it from My presence, aj 32because of all the evil the Israelites and Judeans have done to provoke Me to anger – they, their kings, ak their officials, their priests, and their prophets, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem. 33They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Though I taught them time and time again, ▼▼Lit them, rising up early and teaching
,
am they do not listen and receive discipline. 34They have placed their detestable things an in the house that is called by My name and have defiled it. 35They have built the ▼▼high place(s): An ancient place of worship most often associated with pagan religions, usually built on an elevated location
high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to ▼▼Molech: A Canaanite god associated with death and the underworld. The worship ritual of passing someone through the fire is connected with him. This ritual could have been either fire-walking or child sacrifice.
Molech aq – something I had not commanded them. I had never entertained the thought ▼▼Lit them, and it did not arise on My heart
that they do this detestable act causing Judah to sin! 36 “Now therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to this city about which you said, ‘It has been handed over to Babylon’s king through sword, famine, and plague’: 37I am about to gather them from all the lands where I have banished them in My anger, rage and great wrath, and I will return them to this place and make them live in safety. as 38They will be My people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them one heart at and one way so that for their good and for the good of their descendants after them, they will ▼▼fear(s) God or the Lord/ the fear of the Lord: No single English word conveys every aspect of the word fear in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.
fear Me always. 40“I will make an everlasting covenant with them: av I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put fear of Me in their hearts so they will never again turn away from Me. 41I will take delight in them to do what is good for them, and with all My heart and mind I will faithfully plant them in this land. aw 42 “For this is what the Lord says: Just as I have brought all this great disaster on these people, ax so am I about to bring on them all the good I am promising them. 43 Fields will be bought in this land about which you are saying, ay ‘It’s a desolation az without man or beast; it has been handed over to the Chaldeans!’ 44 Fields will be purchased with silver, the transaction written on a scroll and sealed, ba and witnesses will be called on in the land of Benjamin, bb in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in Judah’s cities – the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, and the cities of the ▼▼Negev: An >arid region in the southern part of Israel; the Hebrew word means "south".
Negev – because I will restore their fortunes.” ▼▼Or will end their captivity
This is the Lord’s declaration.
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