32:1 In the tenth year that Zedekiah was ruling over Judah the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 1 That was the same as the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
32:2 Now at that time, 2 the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem. 3 The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse 4 attached to the royal palace of Judah. 32:3 For King Zedekiah 5 had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah, “Why do you keep prophesying these things? Why do you keep saying that the Lord says, ‘I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon? I will let him capture it. 6 32:4 King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. 7 He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He must answer personally to the king of Babylon and confront him face to face. 8 32:5 Zedekiah will be carried off to Babylon and will remain there until I have fully dealt with him. 9 I, the Lord, affirm it! 10 Even if you 11 continue to fight against the Babylonians, 12 you cannot win.’”
32:6 So now, Jeremiah said, “The Lord told me, 13 32:7 ‘Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. He will say to you, “Buy my field at Anathoth because you are entitled 14 as my closest relative to buy it.”’ 15 32:8 Now it happened just as the Lord had said! My cousin Hanamel 16 came to me in the courtyard of the guardhouse. He said to me, ‘Buy my field which is at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. Buy it for yourself since you are entitled as my closest relative to take possession of it for yourself.’ When this happened, I recognized that the Lord had indeed spoken to me. 32:9 So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it. 17 32:10 I signed the deed of purchase, 18 sealed it, and had some men serve as witnesses to the purchase. 19 I weighed out the silver for him on a scale. 32:11 There were two copies of the deed of purchase. One was sealed and contained the order of transfer and the conditions of purchase. 20 The other was left unsealed. 32:12 I took both copies of the deed of purchase 21 and gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence 22 of my cousin 23 Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the Judeans who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse. 32:13 In the presence of all these people I instructed Baruch, 32:14 ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all 24 says, “Take these documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy. Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come.”’ 25 32:15 For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all 26 says, “Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’ 27
32:16 “After I had given the copies of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, 32:17 ‘Oh, Lord God, 28 you did indeed 29 make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. 30 Nothing is too hard for you! 32:18 You show unfailing love to thousands. 31 But you also punish children for the sins of their parents. 32 You are the great and powerful God who is known as the Lord who rules over all. 33 32:19 You plan great things and you do mighty deeds. 34 You see everything people do. 35 You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do. 36 32:20 You did miracles and amazing deeds in the land of Egypt which have had lasting effect. By this means you gained both in Israel and among humankind a renown that lasts to this day. 37 32:21 You used your mighty power and your great strength to perform miracles and amazing deeds and to bring great terror on the Egyptians. By this means you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt. 38 32:22 You kept the promise that you swore on oath to their ancestors. 39 You gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. 40 32:23 But when they came in and took possession of it, they did not obey you or live as you had instructed them. They did not do anything that you commanded them to do. 41 So you brought all this disaster on them. 32:24 Even now siege ramps have been built up around the city 42 in order to capture it. War, 43 starvation, and disease are sure to make the city fall into the hands of the Babylonians 44 who are attacking it. 45 Lord, 46 you threatened that this would happen. Now you can see that it is already taking place. 47 32:25 The city is sure to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. 48 Yet, in spite of this, 49 you, Lord God, 50 have said to me, “Buy that field with silver and have the transaction legally witnessed.”’” 51
32:26 The Lord answered Jeremiah. 52 32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all humankind. There is, indeed, nothing too difficult for me. 53 32:28 Therefore I, the Lord, say: 54 ‘I will indeed hand 55 this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonian army. 56 They will capture it. 32:29 The Babylonian soldiers 57 that are attacking this city will break into it and set it on fire. They will burn it down along with the houses where people have made me angry by offering sacrifices to the god Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods on their rooftops. 58 32:30 This will happen because the people of Israel and Judah have repeatedly done what displeases me 59 from their earliest history until now 60 and because they 61 have repeatedly made me angry by the things they have done. 62 I, the Lord, affirm it! 63 32:31 This will happen because 64 the people of this city have aroused my anger and my wrath since the time they built it until now. 65 They have made me so angry that I am determined to remove 66 it from my sight. 32:32 I am determined to do so because the people of Israel and Judah have made me angry with all their wickedness – they, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, and especially the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem 67 have done this wickedness. 68 32:33 They have turned away from me instead of turning to me. 69 I tried over and over again 70 to instruct them, but they did not listen and respond to correction. 71 32:34 They set up their disgusting idols in the temple which I have claimed for my own 72 and defiled it. 32:35 They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. 73 Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do! It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing! So Judah is certainly liable for punishment.’ 74
32:36 “You and your people 75 are right in saying, ‘War, 76 starvation, and disease are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.’ 77 But now I, the Lord God of Israel, have something further to say about this city: 78 32:37 ‘I will certainly regather my people from all the countries where I will have exiled 79 them in my anger, fury, and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and allow them to live here in safety. 32:38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 80 32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for 81 their own good and the good of the children who descend from them. 32:40 I will make a lasting covenant 82 with them that I will never stop doing good to them. 83 I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that 84 they will never again turn 85 away from me. 32:41 I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them 86 firmly in the land.’
32:42 “For I, the Lord, say: 87 ‘I will surely bring on these people all the good fortune that I am hereby promising them. I will be just as sure to do that as I have been in bringing all this great disaster on them. 88 32:43 You and your people 89 are saying that this land will become desolate, uninhabited by either people or animals. You are saying that it will be handed over to the Babylonians. 90 But fields 91 will again be bought in this land. 92 32:44 Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country, the western foothills, and southern Judah. 93 For I will restore them to their land. 94 I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 95
33:1 The Lord spoke 96 to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse. 97 33:2 “I, the Lord, do these things. I, the Lord, form the plan to bring them about. 98 I am known as the Lord. I say to you, 33:3 ‘Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious 99 things which you still do not know about.’ 33:4 For I, the Lord God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in this city and the royal buildings which have been torn down for defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians: 100 33:5 ‘The defenders of the city will go out and fight with the Babylonians. 101 But they will only fill those houses and buildings with the dead bodies of the people that I will kill in my anger and my wrath. 102 That will happen because I have decided to turn my back on 103 this city on account of the wicked things they have done. 104 33:6 But I will most surely 105 heal the wounds of this city and restore it and its people to health. 106 I will show them abundant 107 peace and security. 33:7 I will restore Judah and Israel 108 and will rebuild them as they were in days of old. 109 33:8 I will purify them from all the sin that they committed against me. I will forgive all their sins which they committed in rebelling against me. 110 33:9 All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.’ 111
33:10 “I, the Lord, say: 112 ‘You and your people are saying 113 about this place, “It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.” That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem 114 will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places. 33:11 Once again there will be sounds 115 of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. 116 Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, “Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” 117 For I, the Lord, affirm 118 that I will restore the land to what it was 119 in days of old.’ 120
33:12 “I, the Lord who rules over all, say: 121 ‘This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep. 33:13 I, the Lord, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold. 122 They will do this in all the towns in the southern hill country, the western foothills, the southern hill country, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.’ 123
33:14 “I, the Lord, affirm: 124 ‘The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise concerning the nations of Israel and Judah. 125 33:15 In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant 126 of David.
“‘He will do what is just and right in the land. 33:16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety 127 and Jerusalem 128 will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” 129 33:17 For I, the Lord, promise: “David will never lack a successor to occupy 130 the throne over the nation of Israel. 131 33:18 Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices.”’” 132
33:19 The Lord spoke further to Jeremiah. 133 33:20 “I, Lord, make the following promise: 134 ‘I have made a covenant with the day 135 and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people 136 could break that covenant 33:21 could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me. 137 33:22 I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands which are on the seashore.’” 138
33:23 The Lord spoke still further to Jeremiah. 139 33:24 “You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, 140 ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah 141 that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. 142 33:25 But I, the Lord, make the following promise: 143 I have made a covenant governing the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven and earth. 33:26 Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, 144 I will restore them 145 and show mercy to them.”
34:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah while King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem 146 and the towns around it with a large army. This army consisted of troops from his own army and from the kingdoms and peoples of the lands under his dominion. 147 34:2 The Lord God of Israel told Jeremiah 148 to go and give King Zedekiah of Judah a message. He told Jeremiah 149 to tell him, “The Lord says, ‘I am going to 150 hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it down. 34:3 You yourself will not escape his clutches, but will certainly be captured and handed over to him. You must confront the king of Babylon face to face and answer to him personally. 151 Then you must go to Babylon. 34:4 However, listen to what I, the Lord, promise you, King Zedekiah of Judah. I, the Lord, promise that 152 you will not die in battle or be executed. 153 34:5 You will die a peaceful death. They will burn incense at your burial just as they did at the burial of your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you. 154 They will mourn for you, saying, “Poor, poor master!” 155 Indeed, you have my own word on this. 156 I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 157
34:6 The prophet Jeremiah told all this to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. 34:7 He did this while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the cities of Lachish and Azekah. He was attacking these cities because they were the only fortified cities of Judah which were still holding out. 158
34:8 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant 159 with all the people in Jerusalem 160 to grant their slaves their freedom. 34:9 Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved. 161 34:10 All the people and their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free their male and female slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They originally complied with the covenant and freed them. 162 34:11 But later 163 they had changed their minds. They had taken back their male and female slaves that they had freed and forced them to be slaves again. 164 34:12 That was when the Lord spoke to Jeremiah, 165 34:13 “The Lord God of Israel has a message for you. 166 ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors 167 when I brought them out of Egypt where they had been slaves. 168 It stipulated, 169 34:14 “Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them free.” 170 But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me. 34:15 Recently, however, you yourselves 171 showed a change of heart and did what is pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my own. 172 34:16 But then you turned right around 173 and showed that you did not honor me. 174 Each of you took back your male and female slaves whom you had freed as they desired, and you forced them to be your slaves again. 175 34:17 So I, the Lord, say: “You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. 176 Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom 177 to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the Lord, affirm it! 178 I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you. 179 34:18 I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. 180 I will do so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence. 181 34:19 I will punish the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, 182 the priests, and all the other people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf. 183 34:20 I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals. 184 34:21 I will also hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army of the king of Babylon, even though they have temporarily withdrawn from attacking you. 185 34:22 For I, the Lord, affirm that 186 I will soon give the order and bring them back to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in them.”’”