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.”
耶利米买田
1犹大王西底迦第十年，就是尼布甲尼撒第十八年，耶和华的话传给了耶利米。 2那时，巴比伦王的军队正围攻耶路撒冷。耶利米先知被囚禁在犹大王宫中护卫的院子里。 3犹大王西底迦囚禁了他，责问他为什么预言说：“耶和华说，‘看啊，我要把这座城交在巴比伦王手中，他必攻占这座城。 4犹大王西底迦逃不出迦勒底人的手心，必落入巴比伦王手中，与他面对面、眼对眼地说话。 5他必把西底迦带到巴比伦，西底迦要住在那里，直到我惩罚他。你们和迦勒底人作战注定要失败。这是耶和华说的。’”
6耶利米说：“耶和华对我说， 7‘看啊，你叔父沙龙的儿子哈拿篾会来找你，让你买下他在亚拿突的那块田地，说你是他的近亲，理当买下它。’” 8果然如耶和华所言，我堂兄弟哈拿篾到护卫的院子里对我说：“我在便雅悯境内的亚拿突有一块田，求你买下它，因为你有权承接和买赎。求你买下吧！”我知道这是耶和华的旨意。 9-10于是，我从堂兄弟哈拿篾手里买了亚拿突的那块田。我签订了契约，封好，请来证人并秤了四两银子给他。 11我拿着列明条款、一份加了封印和一份没有加封印的地契， 12当着堂兄弟哈拿篾、在地契上签名的证人和护卫院子里所有犹大人的面，把地契交给玛西雅的孙子、尼利亚的儿子巴录。 13我当众对巴录说： 14“以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华吩咐你把封印的和没有封印的两份地契放在一个瓦瓶里，长期保存。 15因为以色列的上帝——万军之耶和华说，将来必有人在这里重新买房屋、田地和葡萄园。”
16我把地契交给尼利亚的儿子巴录之后，便向耶和华祷告说： 17“主耶和华啊，看啊，你伸出臂膀以大能创造天地，你无所不能。 18你恩待千万人，也向后世的子孙追讨他们祖先所犯的罪。伟大全能的上帝啊！你名叫万军之耶和华。 19你有伟大的计划和大能的作为，你鉴察世人的一举一动，按照各人的行为施行赏罚。 20你曾在埃及行神迹奇事，现今仍在以色列和世人中间行神迹奇事，使自己威名远扬，正如今日。 21你伸出臂膀用大能的手行神迹奇事及可畏的事，领你的以色列子民出了埃及。 22你信守对他们祖先的应许，赐给他们这奶蜜之乡。 23他们进入并得到这块土地之后，却不听你的话，也不遵行你的律法，对你的吩咐置若罔闻，因此你使他们大祸临头。 24看啊，敌人已经修筑高台要攻打这城，这城要因刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫而落入迦勒底人手中。你所说的都应验了，你也看见了。 25主耶和华啊！虽然这城快要落入迦勒底人手中了，可是你还要我在证人面前买下这块地。”
26耶和华对耶利米说： 27“看啊，我是耶和华，是所有世人的上帝，难道有我做不到的事吗？ 28看啊，我要把这城交在巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒和他率领的迦勒底人手中，让他们攻取这城。这是耶和华说的。 29攻城的迦勒底人必放火焚城，把城中的房屋付之一炬，城中的居民曾在房顶上向巴力烧香、向其他神明奠酒，惹我发怒。 30以色列人和犹大人自幼就行我视为恶的事，以色列人的所作所为惹我发怒。这是耶和华说的。 31这城自从建立以来直到如今一直惹我发怒，以致我决意从眼前毁灭它。 32以色列和犹大的君王和官长、祭司和先知、犹大百姓和耶路撒冷居民的恶行让我愤怒。 33他们不是面向我而是背对我，我不厌其烦地教导他们，他们却不肯听，不受教。 34他们把可憎的神像放在我的殿中，玷污了我的殿； 35他们在欣嫩子谷为巴力建丘坛，用自己的儿女作祭物献给摩洛，使犹大陷入罪中。我从未吩咐他们做如此可憎之事，连想都没想过。
36“你们说这座城要因刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫而落入巴比伦王手中，但以色列的上帝耶和华说， 37‘看啊，我曾在怒气、义愤和烈怒中把他们驱散到各地，我也必招聚他们，领他们回到故土，使他们安居乐业。 38他们要做我的子民，我要做他们的上帝。 39我要使他们同心合意，永远敬畏我，使他们和子孙得到福乐。 40我要与他们立永远的约，永远恩待他们，使他们对我心存敬畏，不再背弃我。 41我必以恩待他们为乐，全心全意在这地方培育他们。’
42“耶和华说，‘我曾降下这一切灾祸给他们，我也要把我应许的福乐赐给他们。 43你们说这地方落在了迦勒底人手中，变得一片荒凉，人畜绝迹。但将来这地方必再有人置买田产。 44在便雅悯境内，耶路撒冷周围和犹大的城邑，以及山区、丘陵、南地的城邑中，必有人用银子置买田地，签订地契，盖封印，请人作证，因为我必使被掳的人回到故土。这是耶和华说的。’”
