While Jerusalem is besieged and Jeremiah is imprisoned, God tells him to buy a field at Anathoth from his cousin. He does it publicly as a sign that fields will again be bought in the land. Jeremiah prays, and God answers that nothing is too hard for him.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah , which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar .
2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem : and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison , which was in the king of Judah's house .
3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up , saying , Wherefore dost thou prophesy , and say , Thus saith the LORD , Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon , and he shall take it;
4 And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans , but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon , and shall speak with him mouth to mouth , and his eyes shall behold his eyes ;
5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon , and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD : though ye fight with the Chaldeans , ye shall not prosper .
6 And Jeremiah said , The word of the LORD came unto me, saying ,
7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying , Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth : for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.
8 So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD , and said unto me, Buy my field , I pray thee, that is in Anathoth , which is in the country of Benjamin : for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD .
9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son , that was in Anathoth , and weighed him the money , even seventeen shekels of silver .
10 And I subscribed the evidence , and sealed it, and took witnesses , and weighed him the money in the balances .
11 So I took the evidence of the purchase , both that which was sealed according to the law and custom , and that which was open :
12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah , the son of Maaseiah , in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase , before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison .
13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying ,
14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts , the God of Israel ; Take these evidences , this evidence of the purchase , both which is sealed , and this evidence which is open ; and put them in an earthen vessel , that they may continue many days .
15 For thus saith the LORD of hosts , the God of Israel ; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land .
16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah , I prayed unto the LORD , saying ,
17 Ah Lord GOD ! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm , and there is nothing too hard for thee:
18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands , and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great , the Mighty God , the LORD of hosts , is his name ,
19 Great in counsel , and mighty in work : for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men : to give every one according to his ways , and according to the fruit of his doings :
20 Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt , even unto this day , and in Israel , and among other men ; and hast made thee a name , as at this day ;
21 And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs , and with wonders , and with a strong hand , and with a stretched out arm , and with great terror ;
22 And hast given them this land , which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey ;
23 And they came in , and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice , neither walked in thy law ; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do : therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:
24 Behold the mounts , they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans , that fight against it, because of the sword , and of the famine , and of the pestilence : and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.
25 And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD , Buy thee the field for money , and take witnesses ; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans .
26 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah , saying ,
27 Behold, I am the LORD , the God of all flesh : is there any thing too hard for me?
28 Therefore thus saith the LORD ; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans , and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon , and he shall take it:
29 And the Chaldeans , that fight against this city , shall come and set fire on this city , and burn it with the houses , upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal , and poured out drink offerings unto other gods , to provoke me to anger .
30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth : for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands , saith the LORD .
31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day ; that I should remove it from before my face ,
32 Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children 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 the inhabitants of Jerusalem .
33 And they have turned unto me the back , and not the face : though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction .
34 But they set their abominations in the house , which is called by my name , to defile it.
35 And they built the high places of Baal , which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom , to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech ; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind , that they should do this abomination , to cause Judah to sin .
36 And now therefore thus saith the LORD , the God of Israel , concerning this city , whereof ye say , It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword , and by the famine , and by the pestilence ;
37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries , whither I have driven them in mine anger , and in my fury , and in great wrath ; and I will bring them again unto this place , and I will cause them to dwell safely :
38 And they shall be my people , and I will be their God :
39 And I will give them one heart , and one way , that they may fear me for ever , for the good of them, and of their children after them:
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them , to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts , that they shall not depart from me.
41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good , and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul .
42 For thus saith the LORD ; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people , so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.
43 And fields shall be bought in this land , whereof ye say , It is desolate without man or beast ; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans .
44 Men shall buy fields for money , and subscribe evidences , and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin , and in the places about Jerusalem , and in the cities of Judah , and in the cities of the mountains , and in the cities of the valley , and in the cities of the south : for I will cause their captivity to return , saith the LORD .