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.
Yeremiya Agula Munda
1Yehova anayankhula ndi Yeremiya mʼchaka chakhumi cha Zedekiya mfumu ya Yuda, chimene chinalinso chaka cha 18 cha ulamuliro wa Nebukadinezara. 2Pa nthawi imeneyi nʼkuti ankhondo a mfumu ya ku Babuloni atazinga Yerusalemu, ndipo mneneri Yeremiya ndiye anamutsekera mʼbwalo la alonda mʼnyumba yaufumu ya ku Yuda.
3Tsono Zedekiya mfumu ya Yuda nʼkuti itamutsekera mʼmenemo, ndipo inati, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani ukulosera motero? Iwe ukunena kuti, ‘Yehova akuti: Ndidzapereka mzinda uno kwa mfumu ya ku Babuloni, ndipo idzawulanda. 4Zedekiya mfumu ya Yuda sidzapulumuka mʼmanja mwa Ababuloni, koma idzaperekedwa kwa mfumu ya ku Babuloni. Adzayankhula naye ndi kuonana naye maso ndi maso. 5Zedekiya adzatengedwa kupita naye ku Babuloni, kumene adzakhale mpaka nditamukhawulitsa, akutero Yehova. Ngakhale iye adzamenyane ndi Babuloni, koma sadzapambana.’ ”
6Yeremiya anati, “Yehova wandiwuza kuti: 7Taonani, Hanameli mwana wa Salumu, amalume ako akubwera ndipo adzakuwuza kuti, ‘Gula munda wanga wa ku Anatoti, chifukwa iwe ndiwe mʼbale wanga ndipo ndiwe woyenera kuwuwombola.’ ”
8Ndipo monga momwe Yehova ananenera, Hanameli, msuweni wanga anabweradi ku bwalo la alonda ndipo anati, “Gula munda wanga wa ku Anatoti mʼdziko la Benjamini. Popeza ndiwe woyenera kuwugula ndi kukhala wako, gula munda umenewu kuti ukhale wako.”
“Ine ndinadziwa kuti amenewa anali mawu a Yehova aja; 9choncho ndinagula munda wa ku Anatoti kwa Hanameli msuweni wanga, ndipo ndinamupatsa masekeli asiliva 17. 10Ndinasayina panganolo ndikulimata pamaso pa mboni, kenaka ndinayeza ndalama zasilivazo pa sikelo.” 11Pambuyo pake ndinatenga makalata anga a pangano, imodzi yomatidwa mʼmene munali malamulo onse a panganolo ndi ina yosamatidwa. 12Ndinapereka makalatawo kwa Baruki mwana wa Neriya, mdzukulu wa Maseya pamaso pa Hanameli msuweni wanga, pamaso pa mboni zimene zinasayina panganoli ndiponso pamaso pa Ayuda onse okhala mʼbwalo la alonda.
13“Ndinamulangiza Baruki pamaso pa onsewo kuti, 14‘Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti: Tenga makalata awa a umboni wapangano, iyi yokhala ndi chizindikiro ndi yopanda chizindikiro, uwasunge mʼmbiya kuti akhale nthawi yayitali. 15Pakuti Yehova Wamphamvuzonse, Mulungu wa Israeli akuti: Anthu adzagulanso nyumba, minda ndi mitengo yamphesa mʼdziko lino.’ ”
16Nditamupatsa makalata a panganowa Baruki mwana wa Neriya, ndinapemphera kwa Yehova:
17“Aa, inu Ambuye Yehova, munalenga dziko lakumwamba ndi dziko lapansi. Munazilenga ndi dzanja lanu lamphamvu ndipo palibe chokulakani. 18Mumaonetsa chikondi chanu kwa anthu osawerengeka koma mumalanga ana chifukwa cha machimo a makolo awo. Inu ndinu Mulungu Wamkulu ndi Wamphamvu. Dzina lanu ndinu Yehova Wamphamvuzonse. 19Zolinga zanu ndi zazikulu ndipo zochita zanu ndi zamphamvu. Maso anu amaona zonse zimene anthu amachita. Mumapereka mphotho kwa munthu aliyense molingana ndi makhalidwe ake ndi ntchito zake. 20Inu munachita zizindikiro zozizwitsa ku Igupto, ndipo mwakhala mukuzichita mpaka lero, pakati pa Aisraeli ndiponso pakati pa anthu onse. Choncho mwadzitchukitsa mpaka lero lino. 21Munatulutsa Aisraeli mʼdziko la Igupto ndi dzanja lanu lamphamvu pochita zizindikiro zozizwitsa ndi zodabwitsa zimene zinaopseza adani anu. 22Munawapatsa dziko lino limene munalonjeza mwalumbiro kulipereka kwa makolo awo, dziko loyenda mkaka ndi uchi. 23Iwo analowa nʼkulitenga kukhala lawo, koma sanamvere Inu kapena kutsatira lamulo lanu; ndipo sanachite zomwe munawalamula. Choncho inu mwawagwetsera masautso onsewa.”
24“Onani momwe adani azingira ndi mitumbira yankhondo mzindawu kuti awulande ndipo akuwuthira nkhondo. Chifukwa cha lupanga, njala ndi mliri. Mzindawu udzaperekedwa kwa Ababuloni anthu atafowoka ndi nkhondo, njala ndi mliri. Zimene munkanena zija zachitikadi monga mukuzionera tsopano. 25Ngakhale mzindawu udzaperekedwa kwa Ababuloni, komabe Inu Ambuye Yehova, munandiwuza kuti, ‘Gula munda ndi siliva ndipo upereke ndalamazo pali mboni.’ ”
26Tsono Yehova anawuza Yeremiya kuti, 27“Taonani, Ine ndine Yehova, Mulungu wa anthu onse. Kodi chilipo chinthu choti Ine nʼkundikanika? 28Nʼchifukwa chake ine Yehova ndikuti: Ndidzawupereka mzinda uno kwa Nebukadinezara mfumu ya ku Babuloni, amene adzawulanda. 29Ndipo Ababuloni amene akuwuthira nkhondo mzinda uno adzalowa ndi kuwutentha; adzatentha ndi kugwetsa nyumba zimene pa denga pake anthu ankandipsetsa mtima pofukiza lubani kwa Baala ndi popereka chopereka cha chakumwa kwa milungu ina.
30“Aisraeli ndi Ayuda akhala akuchita zoyipa zokhazokha pamaso panga kuyambira ubwana wawo. Kunena zoona Aisraeli akumandikwiyitsa ndi ntchito zawo zoyipa, akutero Yehova. 31Kuyambira tsiku limene mzindawu unamangidwa mpaka lero, wakhala ukuwutsa mkwiyo wanga ndi ukali wanga. Nʼchifukwa chake ndiyenera kuwuchotsa pamaso panga. 32Aisraeli ndi Ayuda, anthu a ku Yuda ndi a ku Yerusalemu, mafumu awo, nduna zawo, ansembe ndi aneneri awo anandikwiyitsa ndi ntchito zawo zoyipa. 33Anandifulatira ndipo ngakhale ndinakhala ndikuwaphunzitsa kawirikawiri, sanamve kapena kuphunzirapo kanthu. 34Iwo anayika mafano awo onyansa mʼnyumba imene imadziwika ndi dzina langa ndipo anayipitsa. 35Anamanga malo opembedzerapo Baala mʼChigwa cha Hinomu kuti aziperekapo ana awo aamuna ndi aakazi ngati nsembe kwa Moleki. Ine sindinawalamulire kutero, ndipo sindinaganizepo nʼkomwe kuti iwo angachite chinthu chonyansa chotero, ndi kuchimwitsa anthu a ku Yuda.
36“Anthu ponena za mzindawu akuti udzaperekedwa kwa mfumu ya ku Babuloni mwa nkhondo, njala ndi mliri, koma Yehova Mulungu wa Israeli akuti, 37Ine ndidzawasonkhanitsadi anthuwa kuchokera ku mayiko onse kumene ndinawapirikitsira ndili wokwiya ndi waukali kwambiri. Ndidzabwera nawo ku malo ano ndipo ndidzawalola kukhala mwamtendere. 38Iwo adzakhala anthu anga, ndipo Ine ndidzakhala Mulungu wawo. 39Ndidzawapatsa mtima umodzi ndi khalidwe limodzi kotero kuti azidzandiopa nthawi zonse ndipo iwo pamodzi ndi zidzukulu zawo zinthu zidzawayendera bwino. 40Ndidzachita nawo pangano losatha: sindidzaleka kuwachitira zabwino, ndipo ndidzawapatsa mtima woti azidzandiopa, kuti asadzandisiyenso. 41Ndidzakondwera powachitira zabwino, ndipo ndidzawakhazikitsa ndithu mʼdziko lino ndi mtima wanga wonse ndi moyo wanga wonse.
42“Yehova akuti: Monga momwe ndinagwetsera masautso aakulu onsewa pa anthuwa, momwemonso ndidzawapatsa zinthu zonse zabwino zimene ndinawalonjeza. 43Adzagulanso minda mʼdziko muno, limene inu mukuti, ‘Ndi dziko losiyidwa, lopanda anthu kapena nyama, pakuti linaperekedwa kwa Ababuloni.’ 44Adzagula minda ndi ndalama zasiliva, ndipo achita pangano, ndi kumata pamaso pa mboni. Izi zidzachitika mʼdziko la Benjamini, ku malo ozungulira Yerusalemu, mʼmizinda ya Yuda, mʼmizinda ya ku mapiri, mʼmizinda ya kuchigwa ndi yakummwera ku Negevi. Zoona, ndidzabwezera ufulu wawo, akutero Yehova.”
