THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 32 ©
Jeremiah in the siege of Jerusalem, being imprisoned by king Zedekiah for his prophecies, at God’s commands buys a field, takes witnesses, draws a writing, and seals it, and delivers it to be kept, for a sign that the Jews would come from Babel into their own country, vs. 1, 2, etc. Jeremiah prays humbly unto God with admiration of His majesty and works, and represents unto Him his conflict for this unseen matter, 16. Whereupon God assures him that He will indeed first punish His people for their enormous sins, but afterward performs His promise, and moreover cause His church to enjoy the grace of the new covenant, both temporarily and eternally, both physically and spiritually, 26
THE 1word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.
For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the 2court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.
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;
And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the 3Chaldeans, but shalla4surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him 5mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;
And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he 6be until I 7visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
¶And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my 8field that is in 9Anathoth: for the right of 10redemption is thine to 11buy it.
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 12word of the LORD.
And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and 13weighed him the money, even seventeen 14shekels of silver.
And I 15subscribed the 16evidence, and sealed it, and took 17witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was 18open:
And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto 19Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s 20son, and in the presence of the witnesses that 21subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that 22sat in the court of the prison.
¶And I charged Baruch before 23them, saying,
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 24open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they 25may continue many days.
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards 26shall be possessed 27again in this land.
¶Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and 28stretched out arm, and there is nothing 29too hard for thee:
Thoub shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the 30bosom of their 31children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his 32name,
Great in counsel,c and mighty in work: for thine 33eyesdare open upon all the 34ways of the sons of men: to givee every one according to his ways, and according to the 35fruit of his doings:
Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even 36unto this day, and in Israel, and among other 37men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;
And hast brought forth thy people Israel outf 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;
And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land 38flowing with milk and honey;
And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done 39nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this 40evil to come upon them:
Behold the 41mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is 42given 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.
And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; 43for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
¶Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,
Behold, I am the LORD, the Godg of all 44flesh: is there any thing 45too hard for me?
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:
And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burnh it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and 46poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to 47anger.
For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have 48only done evil before me from their 49youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD.
For this city hath been to me as 50a 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,
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 51men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And they have turned unto me the 52back,i and not the face: though I taught them, rising up 53earlyj and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive 54instruction.
But they set their 55abominations in the 56house, 57which is called by my name, to defile it.
58And they built the highk 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 59Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it 60into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
¶And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be 61delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;
Behold, I will 62gatherl 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 63safely:
Andm they shall be my 64people, and I will be their God:
And I will give them 65one heart, and one 66way, that they may fear me for ever, for the 67good of them, and of their children after them:
And I will 68make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away 69from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
Yea, 70I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plantn them in this land 71assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great 72evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have 73promised them.
And 74fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye 75say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is 76given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Men 77shall buy fields for money, and 78subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of 79Benjamin, 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.