Jeremiah Buys a Field
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.
3Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians32:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 5, 24, 25, 28, 29 and 43 but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’ ”
6Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’
8“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’
“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels32:9 That is, about 7 ounces or about 200 grams of silver. 10I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13“In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’
16“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:
17“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, 19great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. 20You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 22You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.
24“See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. 25And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ”
26Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? 28Therefore this is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 29The Babylonians who are attacking this city will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses where the people aroused my anger by burning incense on the roofs to Baal and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.
30“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord. 31From the day it was built until now, this city has so aroused my anger and wrath that I must remove it from my sight. 32The people of Israel and Judah have provoked me by all the evil they have done—they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem. 33They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline. 34They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it. 35They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.
36“You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.
42“This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. 43Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes,32:44 Or will bring them back from captivity declares the Lord.”
耶利米買田
1猶大王西底迦第十年，就是尼布甲尼撒第十八年，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，我要把這座城交在巴比倫王手中，他必攻佔這座城。 4猶大王西底迦逃不出迦勒底人的手心，必落入巴比倫王手中，與他面對面、眼對眼地說話。 5他必把西底迦帶到巴比倫，西底迦要住在那裡，直到我懲罰他。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來找你，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，因為你有權承接和買贖。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。我簽訂了契約，封好，請來證人並稱了四兩銀子給他。 11我拿著列明條款、一份加了封印和一份沒有加封印的地契， 12當著堂兄弟哈拿篾、在地契上簽名的證人和護衛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，你伸出臂膀以大能創造天地，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你有偉大的計劃和大能的作為，你鑒察世人的一舉一動，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人中間行神蹟奇事，使自己威名遠揚，正如今日。 21你伸出臂膀用大能的手行神蹟奇事及可畏的事，領你的以色列子民出了埃及。 22你信守對他們祖先的應許，賜給他們這奶蜜之鄉。 23他們進入並得到這塊土地之後，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，這城要因刀劍、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，是所有世人的上帝，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攻城的迦勒底人必放火焚城，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、向其他神明奠酒，惹我發怒。 30以色列人和猶大人自幼就行我視為惡的事，以色列人的所作所為惹我發怒。這是耶和華說的。 31這城自從建立以來直到如今一直惹我發怒，以致我決意從眼前毀滅它。 32以色列和猶大的君王和官長、祭司和先知、猶大百姓和耶路撒冷居民的惡行讓我憤怒。 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可憎之事，連想都沒想過。
36「你們說這座城要因刀劍、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，我曾在怒氣、義憤和烈怒中把他們驅散到各地，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我要使他們同心合意，永遠敬畏我，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「耶和華說，『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。 43你們說這地方落在了迦勒底人手中，變得一片荒涼，人畜絕跡。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、南地的城邑中，必有人用銀子置買田地，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。』」
