32

Jeremiah Buys a Field

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord⚓in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. ²For 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. ³For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you ⚓prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: ⚓“Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; ⁴and Zedekiah king of Judah ⚓shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him ⚓eye to eye; ⁵then he shall ⚓lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be ⚓until I visit him,” says the Lord; ⚓“though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed” ’?”
⁶And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁷‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the ⚓right of redemption is yours to buy it.” ’ ⁸Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. ⁹So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and ⚓weighed out to him the money—seventeen shekels of silver. ¹⁰And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. ¹¹So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; ¹²and I gave the purchase deed to ⚓Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the ⚓witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.
¹³“Then I charged ⚓Baruch before them, saying, ¹⁴‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.” ¹⁵For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be ⚓possessed again in this land.” ’

Jeremiah Prays for Understanding

¹⁶“Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: ¹⁷‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, ⚓You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. ⚓There is nothing too hard for You. ¹⁸You show ⚓lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, ⚓the Mighty God, whose name is⚓the Lord of hosts. ¹⁹You are⚓great in counsel and mighty in work, for Your ⚓eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, ⚓to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. ²⁰You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself ⚓a name, as it is this day. ²¹You ⚓have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; ²²You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—⚓“a land flowing with milk and honey.” ²³And they came in and took possession of it, but ⚓they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them.
²⁴‘Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of ⚓the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it! ²⁵And You have said to me, O Lord God, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses”!—yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ”

God’s Assurance of the People’s Return

²⁶Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁷“Behold, I am the Lord, the ⚓God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? ²⁸Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. ²⁹And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and ⚓set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses ⚓on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; ³⁰because the children of Israel and the children of Judah ⚓have done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,’ says the Lord. ³¹‘For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; ⚓so I will remove it from before My face ³²because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—⚓they, their kings, their princes, their priests, ⚓their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ³³And they have turned to Me the ⚓back, and not the face; though I taught them, ⚓rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction. ³⁴But they ⚓set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. ³⁵And 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 to ⚓Molech, ⚓which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’
³⁶“Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence’: ³⁷Behold, I will ⚓gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them ⚓to dwell safely. ³⁸They shall be ⚓My people, and I will be their God; ³⁹then I will ⚓give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. ⁴⁰And ⚓I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but ⚓I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. ⁴¹Yes, ⚓I will rejoice over them to do them good, and ⚓I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’
⁴²“For thus says the Lord: ⚓‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. ⁴³And fields will be bought in this land ⚓of which you say, “It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” ⁴⁴Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in ⚓the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for ⚓I will cause their captives to return,’ says the Lord.”

32

Yelemi yuav daim teb ntawm Anathau

¹Nuav yog tej lug kws Yawmsaub has tuaj rua Yelemi rua xyoo kaum kws Xentekhiya ua vaajntxwv kaav Yuta, hab yog xyoo kaum yim kws Nenpukhanexa ua vaajntxwv. ²Thaus ntawd vaajntxwv Npanpiloo cov tub rog saamswm vej lub nroog Yeluxalee hab Yelemi kws ua xwbfwb cev Vaajtswv lug kuj raug muab kaw rua huv cov tub rog kws zuv vaajntxwv lub loog kws nyob huv Yuta tug vaajntxwv lub vaaj.
³Yuta tug vaajntxwv Xentekhiya tau muab Yelemi kaw hab has tas, “Ua caag koj cev Vaajtswv lug has tas, ‘Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, Saib maj, kuv yuav muab lub nroog nuav rua huv vaajntxwv Npanpiloo txhais teg, hab nwg yuav txeeb tau lub nroog nuav. ⁴Yuta tug vaajntxwv Xentekhiya yuav tswv tsw dim cov Kheentia txhais teg, tes nwg yuav raug muab cob rua huv vaajntxwv Npanpiloo txhais teg tag tag le, hab yuav tau nrug vaajntxwv Npanpiloo sws txuas lug ntawm ncauj hab pum nwg tim ntsej tim muag. ⁵Vaajntxwv Npanpiloo yuav coj Xentekhiya moog rua Npanpiloo, mas Xentekhiya yuav nyob hov ntawd moog txug thaus kuv rau txem rua nwg. Txawm yog koj ua rog rua cov Kheentia los koj yuav kov tsw yeej. Yawmsaub has le nuav ntaag.’ ”
⁶Yelemi has tas, “Yawmsaub has tej lug tuaj rua kuv tas, ⁷Saib maj, koj txwv ntxawm Salu tug tub Hanamee yuav tuaj cuag koj hab has tas, ‘Ca le yuav kuv daim teb ntawm Anathau, tsua qhov koj muaj feem txhwv yuav ua koj tug.’ ⁸Mas kuv tug kwvtij Hanamee tuaj cuag kuv ntawm cov tub rog kws zuv vaajntxwv lub loog lawv le tej lug kws Yawmsaub tau has rua kuv lawm, mas Hanamee has tas, ‘Ca le yuav kuv daim teb ntawm Anathau kws nyob huv Npeeyamee tebchaws, tsua qhov koj muaj feem tuav ua koj tug hab txhwv rua koj. Ca le yuav maj.’ Mas kuv txhad paub tas nuav yog Yawmsaub le lug tag.
⁹“Mas kuv txhad yuav daim teb huv Anathau ntawm kuv tug kwvtij Hanamee, hab kuv kiv kaum xyaa sekee nyaj⚓ rua nwg. ¹⁰Kuv txhad sau npe rua huv daim ntawv teb hab ntaus hom thawj rua, muaj timkhawv hab muab teev kiv nyaj rua. ¹¹Kuv txhad txais daim ntawv yuav teb kws ntaus hom thawj rua lawm kws muaj ntsab lug muag hab yuav, hab daim ntawv kws tsw tau ntaus hom thawj. ¹²Mas kuv muab daim ntawv yuav teb rua Npalu kws yog Neliya tug tub, taab meeg kuv tug kwvtij Hanamee hab cov timkhawv kws teev npe rua daim ntawv yuav teb hab taab meeg cov Yutai suavdawg kws nyob quas tsawg huv cov tub rog kws zuv vaajntxwv lub loog. Npalu yawm yog Maxeya. ¹³Kuv txhad has rua Npalu taab meeg puab tas, ¹⁴‘Yawmsaub tug muaj fwjchim luj kawg nkaus kws yog Yixayee tug Vaajtswv has le nuav tas, Ca le coj daim ntawv teb nuav moog, yog daim kws ntaus hom thawj rua hab daim kws tsw ntaus, mas muab ntim rua huv ib lub hub aav txhad nyob tau ntev, ¹⁵tsua qhov Yawmsaub tug muaj fwjchim luj kawg nkaus kws yog Yixayee tug Vaajtswv has le nuav tas, Tej vaaj tse tej teb hab tej vaaj txwv maab huv lub tebchaws nuav yuav raug muab muag hab yuav dua ib zag hab.’
¹⁶“Thaus kuv muab daim ntawv yuav teb rua Neliya tug tub Npalu lawm, kuv thov Yawmsaub has tas, ¹⁷Au Vaajtswv Yawmsaub, koj yog tug kws swv koj tug fwjchim luj kawg hab koj tsaa hlo koj txhais npaab tswm ntuj tswm nplajteb. Tsw muaj ib yaam daabtsw kws koj ua tsw tau. ¹⁸Koj yog tug kws ua txujkev hlub ruaj khov tshwm rua ntau txheeb leej, hab rau txem rua tug tuabneeg kws ua txhum tej mivnyuas kws tshwm lug tom qaab. Au Vaajtswv kws luj kawg hab muaj fwjchim luj, koj lub npe yog Yawmsaub kws muaj fwjchim luj kawg nkaus. ¹⁹Koj yog lub chaw sablaaj ntxwg nug zoo heev hab koj tej num muaj fwjchim luj kawg. Koj lub qhov muag pum ntsoov txhua yaam kws tuabneeg ua, hab pub nqe zug rua txhua tug lawv le kws puab xyum ua puab lub neej hab pub lawv le tej kws puab ua. ²⁰Koj yog tug kws ua txujci tseem ceeb hab txujci phemfwj tshwm rua huv Iyi tebchaws, hab lug txug naj nub nwgnuav kuj ua tshwm rua huv Yixayee tebchaws hab huv plawv ib tsoom tuabneeg, hab ua koj lub npe nchaa moo quas lug yaam le naj nub nwgnuav. ²¹Koj ua txujci tseem ceeb hab txujci phemfwj coj koj haiv tuabneeg Yixayee tawm huv Iyi tebchaws lug, koj swv koj txhais teg kws muaj fwjchim hab tsaa hlo koj txhais npaab hab ua kuas muaj kev txhawj kev ntshai kawg le. ²²Koj muab lub tebchaws nuav rua puab, yog lub tebchaws kws koj tau cog lug tseg rua puab tej laug tas yuav pub rua puab, yog lub tebchaws kws muaj kua mig hab zwb ntaab ndwg quas ndo. ²³Puab tau txeem lug hab tuav tau lub tebchaws nuav ua puab tug. Tassws puab tsw noog koj lug hab tsw ua lawv le koj txuj kevcai hab tsw ua ib yaam daabtsw lawv le koj has kuas puab ua hlo le. Vem le nuav koj txhad tso tej xwm txheej phem nuav huvsw lug raug puab.
²⁴“ ‘Saib maj, tub tib tej chaw sab vej yuav txeeb lub nroog lawm. Vem tej nav ntaaj hab kev tshaib nqhes hab mob kis lub nroog tub raug muab rua huv cov Kheentia kws saamswm ua rog ntawd txhais teg lawm. Tej lug kws koj has tub muaj lawv le ntawd lawm, koj yeej pum ntsoov. ²⁵Au Vaajtswv Yawmsaub, txawm yog lub nroog nuav raug muab rua huv cov Kheentia txhais teg lawm, los koj tseed has rua kuv tas, Rhu nyaj yuav daim teb hab nrhav timkhawv.’ ”
²⁶Yawmsaub has lug tuaj rua Yelemi tas, ²⁷“Saib maj, kuv yog Yawmsaub, yog ib tsoom tuabneeg tug Vaajtswv, muaj ib yaam daabtsw twg kws kuv ua tsw tau lov? ²⁸Vem le nuav Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, Saib maj, kuv saamswm muab lub nroog nuav cob rua huv cov Kheentia txhais teg hab muab cob rua vaajntxwv Nenpukhanexa huv Npanpiloo txhais teg mas nwg yuav txeeb tau. ²⁹Cov Kheentia kws ua rog ntaus lub nroog nuav yuav tuaj muab lub nroog nuav hlawv kub nyab taag, hab yuav kub tej tsev kws puab hlawv xyaab xyeem rua daab Npa‑aa hab laub cawv txwv maab xyeem rua luas tej daab sau puab txheej tsev laag tshaav, zwg kuas kuv chim. ³⁰Yixayee caaj ceg hab Yuta caaj ceg tsw tau ua ib yaam daabtsw zoo tsuas yog ua kev phem rua kuv pum txwj thaus yau lug le xwb. Yixayee caaj ceg tsw tau ib yaam daabtsw le, puab txhais teg tsuas yog ua tej num kws zwg kuas kuv chim. Yawmsaub has le nuav ntaag. ³¹Lub nroog nuav tau zwg kuas kuv chim hab npau tawg txwj nub kws rhawv lug txug naj nub nwgnuav. Vem le nuav kuv yuav muab rhuav tshem ntawm kuv lub qhov muag moog, ³²vem yog Yixayee caaj ceg hab Yuta caaj ceg tej kev phem txhua yaam kws zwg ua rua kuv chim, tub yog puab tej vaajntxwv hab puab cov thawj coj hab puab cov pov thawj hab puab cov xwbfwb cev lug hab cov Yuta hab cov kws nyob huv Yeluxalee suavdawg ua ntaag. ³³Puab tau tig nraus qaum rua kuv, tsw yog tig ntsej muag rua kuv. Txawm yog kuv tub qha puab tsw tu ncua, los puab tsw noog tsw txais yuav tej lug qhuab qha. ³⁴Puab muab tej kws qas vuab tsuab txawb rua huv lub tuam tsev kws hu lawv le kuv lub npe txhad puag tsuas lub tuam tsev. ³⁵Puab ua lub chaw sab teev daab Npa‑aa rua huv lub haav Npeehinoo puab txhad muab puab tej tub tej ntxhais txw rua daab Maulej, yog yaam kws kuv tsw tau kuas puab ua, hab kuv tsw tau xaav rua huv kuv lub sab tas puab yuav ua tej kws qas vuab tsuab le nuav ua rua Yuta txhum muaj txem.
³⁶“Vem le nuav Yawmsaub kws yog Yixayee tug Vaajtswv txhad has txug lub nroog nuav kws mej has tas, ‘Lub nroog nuav tub raug muab cob rua huv vaajntxwv Npanpiloo txhais teg lawm, yog raug nav ntaaj nav rag hab kev tshaib nqhes hab mob kis.’
³⁷“Saib maj, kuv yuav sau puab huv txhua lub tebchaws kws kuv npau tawg quas vog hab chim heev es muab puab lawv moog nyob lawm rov lug. Kuv yuav coj puab rov lug rua lub chaw nuav, hab kuv yuav pub puab nyob tso sab plhuav. ³⁸Puab yuav ua kuv haiv tuabneeg, hab kuv yuav ua puab tug Vaajtswv. ³⁹Kuv yuav ua kuas puab ua ib lub sab hab taug ib txujkev, sub puab txhad le fwm hab paub ntshai kuv moog ib txhws, txhad le zoo rua puab hab zoo rua puab tej tub ki tom qaab. ⁴⁰Kuv yuav cog lug tseg rua puab moog ib txhws tas kuv yuav tsw tseg qhov kws ua zoo rua puab, kuv yuav muab lub sab kws fwm hab paub ntshai kuv rua huv puab sub puab txhad tsw tso kuv tseg. ⁴¹Kuv yuav zoo sab qhov kws ua zoo rua puab, hab kuv ruaj sab yuav muab puab cog ca rua huv lub tebchaws nuav kawg kuv lub sab lub ntsws.
⁴²“Yawmsaub has le nuav tas, Kuv tub tso xwm txheej phem luj lug raug cov tuabneeg nuav le caag lawm, kuv yuav coj tej kev zoo lawv le kuv cog lug tseg lawm huvsw lug rua puab hab. ⁴³Puab yuav muag hab yuav tej teb huv lub tebchaws nuav kws mej has tas, ‘Nyob do cuas tsw muaj tuabneeg hab tsaj txhu nyob le, lub tebchaws raug muab rua huv cov Kheentia txhais teg lawm.’ ⁴⁴Yuav rhu nyaj yuav tej teb, hab tej ntawv teb yuav sau npe hab ntaus hom thawj hab muaj timkhawv, tsw has huv Npeeyamee tebchaws hab ib ncig Yeluxalee hab huv Yuta tej moos hab tej moos peg toj sab hab tej moos ntawm tej pov roob Sefela, hab tej moos huv Neke, tsua qhov kuv yuav pub puab rov qaab vaam meej le qub. Yawmsaub has le nuav ntaag.”