耶利米買田
1猶大王西底迦第十年，就是尼布甲尼撒執政第十八年，耶和華的話傳給了耶利米。 2那時，巴比倫王的軍隊正圍攻耶路撒冷。耶利米先知被囚禁在猶大王宮中護衛兵的院子裡。 3猶大王西底迦囚禁了他，責問他為什麼預言說：「耶和華說，『看啊，我要讓巴比倫王攻佔這座城。 4猶大王西底迦逃不出迦勒底人的手，必成為巴比倫王的階下囚，被他審問、 5遣送到巴比倫，住在那裡一直到死。你們和迦勒底人作戰註定要失敗。這是耶和華說的。』」
6耶利米說：「耶和華對我說， 7『看啊，你叔父沙龍的兒子哈拿篾會去找你，讓你買下他在亞拿突的那塊田地，說你是他的近親，理當買下它。』」 8果然如耶和華所言，我堂兄弟哈拿篾到護衛兵的院子裡對我說：「我在便雅憫境內的亞拿突有一塊田，求你買下它，因為你理當買下它。求你買下吧！」我知道這是耶和華的旨意。 9-10於是，我從堂兄弟哈拿篾手裡買了亞拿突的那塊田。我當著證人的面簽訂了契約，封好，秤了二百克銀子給他。 11地契上列明了詳細條款，一份加了封印，一份沒有加。 12我當著堂兄弟哈拿篾、證人和護衛兵院子裡所有猶大人的面，把地契交給瑪西雅的孫子、尼利亞的兒子巴錄。 13我當眾對巴錄說： 14「以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華吩咐你把封印的和沒有封印的兩份地契放在一個瓦瓶裡，長期保存。 15因為以色列的上帝——萬軍之耶和華說，將來必有人在這裡重新買房屋、田地和葡萄園。」
16我把地契交給尼利亞的兒子巴錄之後，便向耶和華禱告說： 17「主耶和華啊，看啊，你伸出大能的臂膀創造天地，你無所不能。 18你恩待千萬人，也向後世的子孫追討他們祖先所犯的罪。偉大全能的上帝啊！你名叫萬軍之耶和華。 19你的計劃充滿智慧，你的作為奇妙無比，你鑒察世人，按照各人的行為施行賞罰。 20你曾在埃及行神蹟奇事，現今仍在以色列和世界各地行神蹟奇事，使自己威名遠揚，直到今日。 21你伸出臂膀用大能的手行神蹟奇事及可畏的事，領你的子民出了埃及。 22你信守對他們祖先的應許，賜給他們這奶蜜之鄉。 23他們得到這塊土地之後，卻不聽你的話，也不遵行你的律法，對你的吩咐置若罔聞，因此你使他們大禍臨頭。 24看啊，敵人已經修築高臺要攻打這城，這城要因戰爭、饑荒和瘟疫而落入迦勒底人手中。你所說的都應驗了，你也看見了。 25主耶和華啊！雖然這城快要落入迦勒底人手中了，可是你還要讓我在證人面前買下這塊地。」
26耶和華對耶利米說： 27「看啊，我是耶和華，是全人類的上帝，難道有我做不到的事嗎？ 28看啊，我要把這城交在巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒和他率領的迦勒底人手中，讓他們攻取這城。這是耶和華說的。 29他們必放火焚城，把城中的房屋付之一炬，城中的居民曾在房頂上向巴力燒香、向假神奠酒，惹我發怒。 30以色列人和猶大人從一開始就行我視為惡的事，他們的所作所為惹我發怒。這是耶和華說的。 31這城自從建立以來一直惹我發怒，以致我不得不毀滅它。 32以色列和猶大的君王、首領、祭司、先知、百姓和耶路撒冷居民的惡行令我怒不可遏。 33他們不是面向我而是背對我，我不厭其煩地教導他們，他們卻不肯聽，不受教。 34他們把可憎的神像放在我的殿中，玷污了我的殿； 35他們在欣嫩子谷為巴力建邱壇，用自己的兒女作祭物獻給摩洛，使猶大陷入罪中——我從未吩咐他們做如此邪惡的事，連想都沒想過。 36耶利米啊，你們說這座城要因戰爭、饑荒和瘟疫而落入巴比倫王手中，但以色列的上帝耶和華說， 37『看啊，我極其憤怒地把他們驅散到各地，我也必招聚他們，領他們回到故土，使他們安居樂業。 38他們要做我的子民，我要做他們的上帝。 39我要使他們永遠全心全意地敬畏我，使他們和子孫得到福樂。 40我要與他們立永遠的約，永遠恩待他們，使他們對我心存敬畏，不再背棄我。 41我必以恩待他們為樂，全心全意在這地方培育他們。
42「『我曾降下這一切災禍給他們，我也要把我應許的福樂賜給他們。這是耶和華說的。 43耶利米啊，你們說這地方落在了迦勒底人手中，變得一片荒涼，人獸絕跡。但將來這地方必再有人置買田產。 44在便雅憫境內，耶路撒冷周圍和猶大的城邑，以及山區、丘陵、南部的城邑中，必有人置買田地，簽訂地契，蓋封印，請人作證，因為我必使被擄的人回到故土。這是耶和華說的。』」
Jeremiah Buys a Field
1A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It came in the 10th year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. 2The armies of the king of Babylon were getting ready to attack Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was being held as a prisoner. He was kept in the courtyard of the guard. It was part of Judah’s royal palace.
3Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had made Jeremiah a prisoner there. Zedekiah had said to him, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘The Lord says, “I am about to hand over this city to the king of Babylon. He will capture it. 4Zedekiah, the king of Judah, will not escape from the powerful hands of the armies of Babylon. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. Zedekiah will speak with him face to face. He will see him with his own eyes. 5Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon. Zedekiah will remain there until I deal with him,” announces the Lord. “Suppose you fight against the armies of Babylon. If you do, you will not succeed.” ’ ”
6Jeremiah said, “A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 7‘Hanamel is going to come to you. He is the son of your uncle Shallum. Hanamel will say, “Buy my field at Anathoth. You are my closest relative. So it’s your right and duty to buy it.” ’
8“Then my cousin Hanamel came to me. I was in the courtyard of the guard. It happened just as the Lord had said it would. Hanamel said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. It is in the territory of Benjamin. It is your right to buy it and own it. So buy it for yourself.’
“I knew that this was the Lord’s message. 9So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver for him. 10I signed and sealed the deed of purchase. I had some people witness everything. And I weighed out the silver on the scales. 11There were two copies of the deed. One was sealed and the other wasn’t. The deed included the terms and conditions of the sale. 12I gave Baruch the copies of the deed. My cousin Hanamel saw me do this. The witnesses who had signed the deed were there too. So were all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. Baruch was the son of Neriah. Neriah was the son of Mahseiah.
13“I gave Baruch directions in front of all of them. I said, 14‘The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Take this deed of purchase. Take the sealed and unsealed copies. Put them in a clay jar. Then they will last a long time.” 15The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’
16“I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch, the son of Neriah. Then I prayed to the Lord. I said,
17“ ‘Lord and King, you have reached out your great and powerful arm. You have made the heavens and the earth. Nothing is too hard for you. 18You show your love to thousands of people. But you cause the sins of parents to affect even their children. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. 19Your purposes are great. Your acts are mighty. Your eyes see everything people do. You reward each one of them in keeping with their conduct. You do this based on what they have done. 20You performed signs and wonders in Egypt. And you have continued to do them to this day. You have done them in Israel and among all people. You are still known for doing them. 21You brought your people Israel out of Egypt. You did it with signs and wonders. You reached out your mighty hand and powerful arm. You did great and wonderful things. 22You gave Israel this land that you promised to their people of long ago. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey. 23Israel came in and took it over. But they did not obey you. They didn’t follow your law. They didn’t do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this trouble on them.
24“ ‘See how ramps are built up against Jerusalem’s walls to attack it. The city will be handed over to the armies of Babylon. They are attacking it. It will fall because of war, hunger and plague. What you said would happen is now happening, as you can see. 25Lord and King, the city will be handed over to the armies of Babylon. In spite of that, you tell me to buy a field. You say, “Pay for it with silver. And have the sale witnessed.” ’ ”
26Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. The Lord said, 27“I am the Lord. I am the God of all people. Is anything too hard for me?” 28So the Lord says, “I am about to hand this city over to the armies of Babylon. I will give it to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He will capture it. 29The armies of Babylon are now attacking this city. They will come in and set it on fire. They will burn it down. They will burn down the houses where the people made me very angry. They burned incense on their roofs to the god named Baal. And they poured out drink offerings to other gods.
30“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my eyes. They have done it since the nation was young. In fact, they have done nothing but make me very angry. They have worshiped statues of gods their own hands have made,” announces the Lord. 31“This city has always stirred up my great anger. It has done it since the day it was built. Now I must remove it from my sight. 32The people of Israel and Judah have made me very angry. They have done many evil things. They, their kings and officials have sinned. So have their priests and prophets. And the people of Judah and Jerusalem have also sinned. 33They turned their backs to me. They would not face me. I taught them again and again. But they would not listen or pay attention when they were corrected. 34They set up the hateful statues of their gods. They did it in the house where I have put my Name. They made my house ‘unclean.’ 35The people built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. That is where they sacrifice their children to Molek in the fire. That is something I did not command. It did not even enter my mind. They did something I hate. They made Judah sin.”
36Here is what you people of Judah are saying about this city. “By war, hunger and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” But here is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. 37“You can be sure that I will gather my people again. I will send them away when my burning anger blazes out against them. But I will bring them back to this place. And I will let them live in safety. 38They will be my people. And I will be their God. 39I will give them a single purpose in life. Then, they will always have respect for me. Then all will go well for them. And it will also go well for their children after them. 40I will make a covenant with them that will last forever. I promise that I will never stop doing good to them. I will cause them to respect me. Then they will never turn away from me again. 41I will take pleasure in doing good things for them. I will certainly plant them in this land. I will do these things with all my heart and soul.”
42The Lord says, “I have brought all this horrible trouble on these people. But now I will give them all the good things I have promised them. 43Once more fields will be bought in this land. It is the land about which you now say, ‘It is a dry and empty desert. It doesn’t have any people or animals in it. It has been handed over to the armies of Babylon.’ 44Fields will be bought with silver. Deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed. That will be done in the territory of Benjamin. It will be done in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. It will also be done in the towns of the central hill country. And it will be done in the towns of the western hills and the Negev Desert. I will bless their people with great success again,” announces the Lord.
