1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadrezzar. 2For then the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah, the prophet, was confined in the court of the prison, which was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3For King Zedekiah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it; 4And Zedekiah, king of Judah, shall not escape from the Chaldeans, but shall surely be handed over to the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and eye to eye; 5And he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I deal with him,” says the LORD; “If you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed.”’”

6And Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me: 7‘Behold, Hanamel, son of Shallum, your uncle (Jeremiah’s cousin), shall come to you and say, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours (as nearest relative) to buy it.”’” 8So Hanamel, my cousin, came to me in the court of the prison as the LORD had said, and said, “Please buy my field, that is in Anathoth, in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance and of redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. 9And I bought the field of Hanamel, my cousin, in Anathoth, and weighed out to (paid) him the money: seventeen shekels of silver. 10And I signed and sealed the deed, and had it witnessed. 11Then I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open. 12And I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch, son of Neriah, son of Maaseiah, in the presence of Hanamel, my cousin, and in the presence of the witnesses that signed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. 13And in front of them, I told Baruch, 14“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; ‘Take these documents, this deed of the purchase, both the one that is sealed, and the one that is open, and put them in a clay jar, that they may be preserved for a long time. 15For this is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought and owned in this land.”’”

16Now when I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed this unto the LORD: 17“Ah, Sovereign God! Behold, You have made both heaven and earth by Your great power and outstretched arm, and there is nothing too hard for You. 18You show loving-kindness to thousands, but You also punish one generation for the evil deeds of the prior generation. You are the Great, the Mighty God; the LORD of hosts is Your name, 19Great is Your counsel, and mighty are Your deeds; for Your eyes are ever observing all the ways of mankind, to reward everyone according to his ways, and his doings; 20You have performed great signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and continue even to this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and have gained renown for Yourself as it is this day; 21And have brought Your people, Israel, out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, inspiring great awe; 22And have given them this land, as You promised to give to their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23And they came in, and took possession of it; but then they did not obey Your voice or Your law; they have done none of what You commanded them; therefore, You have caused all this disaster to fall upon them. 24Behold, the siege mounds that are built to take the city; and the city is about to be captured by the Chaldeans (Babylonians), that bring against it the sword, famine, and plague. What You have said has been fulfilled, as You now see. 25And You, O LORD God, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money, and have the transaction witnessed; although the city will soon fall to the Chaldeans.’”

26Then this word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 27“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for Me? 28Therefore, thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will give this city to the Chaldeans, and to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, who shall capture it. 29And these Chaldeans, that attack this city, shall set fire to this city, and burn it, along with the houses upon whose roofs the people have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other false gods, to provoke Me to anger. 30For the people of Israel and of Judah have only done evil before Me from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but provoke Me to anger with their idols, made by their own hands,’ says the LORD. 31‘For this city has provoked My anger and My fury from the day that they built it until this day, so that I must remove it from My sight, 32Because of all the evil that the people of Israel and Judah have done to provoke Me to anger - they, their kings, officials, priests, prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33And they have turned their backs to Me, and not their faces; though I taught them over and over, rising up early to teach them, yet they would not listen to receive instruction. 34But they set their abominable idols in the Temple that bears My name, to defile it. 35And they built their high places for Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burned their sons and daughters as sacrifices to the false god, Molech; which I never taught them, nor did it ever enter My mind that they should do such an abomination, to cause Judah to sin so grievously. 36And now, therefore, I, the LORD God of Israel, have something to tell you concerning this city, about which you say, “It shall be handed over to the king of Babylon by the sword, the famine, and plague”: 37“Behold, I will surely gather My people out of all countries, to which I have driven them in My anger and My fury; and I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell there in safely; 38And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39And I will give them one heart, and one purpose, that they may honor Me forever, for their own good, and that of their children after them; 40And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will never stop doing them good, but I will put reverence for Me in their hearts, so that they shall never depart from Me. 41Yes, I will delight in doing them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with all My heart and all My soul.” 42For thus says the LORD; “As I have brought all this great calamity upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. 43And fields shall once again be bought in this land that you say, ‘It is desolate without man or beast; controlled by the Chaldeans.’ 44Men shall again purchase fields, sign, seal, and witness deeds in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, and in the towns of the hill country, and in the cities of the Shephelah (vale), and in the cities of the Negev (to the south); for I will return them from captivity”’, says the LORD.”