Jeremiah, 32

1. The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.

1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedeki'ah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrez'zar.

2. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the Court of the Guard in the king of Judah's palace,

2. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard which was in the palace of the king of Judah.

3. where Zedekiah king of Judah had confined him, saying, 'Why do you keep prophesying like this, "Yahweh says this: I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will capture it;

3. For Zedeki'ah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, `Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

4. and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the clutches of the Chaldaeans, but will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon, speak to him personally and see him face to face.

4. Zedeki'ah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chalde'ans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye;

5. He will take Zedekiah away to Babylon and there he will stay (until I attend to him, Yahweh declares. If you fight the Chaldaeans you will not succeed!)" '

5. and he shall take Zedeki'ah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, says the LORD; though you fight against the Chalde'ans, you shall not succeed'?"

6. Jeremiah said, 'The word of Yahweh has been addressed to me as follows,

6. Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me:

7. "Look, Hanamel the son of your uncle Shallum will come to you and say: Buy my field at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to purchase it."

7. Behold, Han'amel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, `Buy my field which is at An'athoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.'

8. And, as Yahweh had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me, in the Court of the Guard and said, "Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin, for you have the right of inheritance and right of redemption; buy it." I knew then that this was Yahweh's order.

8. Then Han'amel my cousin came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, `Buy my field which is at An'athoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

9. Accordingly, I bought the field from my cousin Hanamel of Anathoth and weighed him out the money: seventeen silver shekels.

9. "And I bought the field at An'athoth from Han'amel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.

10. I drew up the deeds and sealed it, called in witnesses and weighed out the money on the scales.

10. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales.

11. I then took both the sealed deed of purchase (with its stipulations and clauses) and its open copy

11. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy;

12. and handed over the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, of the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and of all the Judaeans who then happened to be in the Court of the Guard.

12. and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neri'ah son of Mahsei'ah, in the presence of Han'amel my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard.

13. In their presence I gave Baruch this order,

13. I charged Baruch in their presence, saying,

14. "Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Take these deeds, the sealed deed of purchase and its open copy, and put them in an earthenware pot, so that they may be preserved for a long time.

14. `Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.

15. For Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this country."

15. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.'

16. 'After I had entrusted the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to Yahweh as follows,

16. "After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neri'ah, I prayed to the LORD, saying:

17. "Ah, Lord Yahweh, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. To you nothing is impossible.

17. `Ah Lord GOD! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee,

18. You show faithful love to thousands but repay the fathers' guilt in full to their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth,

18. who showest steadfast love to thousands, but dost requite the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the LORD of hosts,

19. great in purpose, mighty in deed, whose eyes are open on all human ways, rewarding every individual as that person's ways and actions deserve!

19. great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of men, rewarding every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings;

20. You performed signs and wonders in Egypt, as you still do in Israel and among humanity today. You have won the name for yourself which is yours today.

20. who hast shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and hast made thee a name, as at this day.

21. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, with mighty hand and outstretched arm and fearsome terror.

21. Thou didst bring thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror;

22. Then you gave them this country which you had promised on oath to their ancestors, a country flowing with milk and honey.

22. and thou gavest them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

23. They then entered it, taking possession of it, but they would not listen to your voice nor follow your Law: they would do nothing you ordered them to do; and so you made this total disaster befall them.

23. and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey thy voice or walk in thy law; they did nothing of all thou didst command them to do. Therefore thou hast made all this evil come upon them.

24. Look! The earthworks are already in place to take the city and, by means of sword, famine and plague, the city is now within the clutches of the Chaldaeans attacking it. What you said has now come true, as you see.

24. Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chalde'ans who are fighting against it. What thou didst speak has come to pass, and behold, thou seest it.

25. Yet you yourself, Lord Yahweh, told me: Buy the field, pay for it, have it witnessed although the city is already in the Chaldaeans' clutches." '

25. Yet thou, O Lord GOD, hast said to me, "Buy the field for money and get witnesses" -- though the city is given into the hands of the Chalde'ans.'"

26. The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

26. The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

27. 'Look, I am Yahweh, God of all humanity. Is anything impossible to me?

27. "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me?

28. 'So, Yahweh says this, "I shall hand this city over to the Chaldaeans and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it;

28. Therefore, thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chalde'ans and into the hand of Nebuchadrez'zar king of Babylon, and he shall take it.

29. the Chaldaeans attacking this city will enter it, fire it and burn it to the ground, with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Baal and libations poured to other gods, to provoke my anger.

29. The Chalde'ans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Ba'al and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger.

30. For the people of Israel and Judah alike have done nothing but what displeases me since they were young. (The people of Israel in fact have done nothing but provoke my anger by their actions, Yahweh declares.)

30. For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; the sons of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, says the LORD.

31. Yes, from the day when this city was built until today, it has been such cause of anger and wrath to me that I mean to remove it from my sight,

31. This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, so that I will remove it from my sight

32. on account of all the wickedness the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done to provoke my anger; they, their kings, their chief men, their priests, their prophets, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

32. because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they did to provoke me to anger -- their kings and their princes, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

33. They turned to me their backs, never their faces; and though I taught them so urgently, so untiringly, they would not listen and accept correction.

33. They have turned to me their back and not their face; and though I have taught them persistently they have not listened to receive instruction.

34. Instead, they set up their Horrors in the Temple that bears my name to defile it,

34. They set up their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.

35. and built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters alive in honour of Molech: a thing I have never ordered, that had never entered my thoughts -- that they would cause Judah to sin by anything so loathsome!

35. They built the high places of Ba'al in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

36. "So now, this is what Yahweh, God of Israel, says about this city of which you now say: By means of sword, famine and plague, it is already within the king of Babylon's clutches:

36. "Now therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, `It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence':

37. Look, I shall gather them in from all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, my fury and great wrath. I shall bring them back to this place and make them live in safety.

37. Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety.

38. Then they will be my people, and I shall be their God.

38. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

39. I shall give them singleness of heart and singleness of conduct so that they will always fear me, for their own good and that of their children after them.

39. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for their own good and the good of their children after them.

40. I shall make an everlasting covenant with them, never to cease in my efforts for their welfare, and I shall put respect for me in their hearts, so that they will never turn away from me again.

40. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

41. My joy will lie in them and in doing them good, and I shall plant them firmly in this country, with all my heart and soul.

41. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

42. For Yahweh says this: Just as I have brought this complete and total disaster on this people, so I shall bring them all the good things I have promised them.

42. "For thus says the LORD: Just as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them.

43. Fields will again be bought in this country of which you now say: It is a wasteland without human or animal, already in the clutches of the Chaldaeans.

43. Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hands of the Chalde'ans.

44. People will buy fields, pay money, draw up deeds, seal them and have them witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the districts round Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, of the highlands, of the lowlands and of the Negeb. For I shall bring back their captives, Yahweh declares."'

44. Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephe'lah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, says the LORD."