Jeremiah Buys a Field
1 The Lord spoke to me in the tenth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, which was also the eighteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylonia was attacking Jerusalem, and I was locked up in the courtyard of the royal palace. 3 King Zedekiah had imprisoned me there and had accused me of announcing that the Lord had said, “I am going to let the king of Babylonia capture this city, 4 and King Zedekiah will not escape. He will be handed over to the king of Babylonia; he will see him face-to-face and will speak to him in person. 5 Zedekiah will be taken to Babylonia, and he will remain there until I deal with him. Even if he fights the Babylonians, he will not be successful. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
6 The Lord told me 7 that Hanamel, my uncle Shallum's son, would come to me with the request to buy his field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin, because I was his nearest relative and had the right to buy it for myself. 8 Then, just as the Lord had said, Hanamel came to me there in the courtyard and asked me to buy the field. So I knew that the Lord had really spoken to me. 9 I bought the field from Hanamel and weighed out the money to him; the price came to seventeen pieces of silver. 10 I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the money on scales. 11 Then I took both copies of the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the contract and its conditions, and the open copy— 12 and gave them to Baruch, the son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence of Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase and of the people who were sitting in the courtyard. 13 Before them all I said to Baruch, 14 “The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has ordered you to take these deeds, both the sealed deed of purchase and the open copy, and to place them in a clay jar, so that they may be preserved for years to come. 15 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has said that houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”
Jeremiah's Prayer
16 After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch, I prayed, 17 “Sovereign Lord, you made the earth and the sky by your great power and might; nothing is too difficult for you. 18 You have shown constant love to thousands, but you also punish people for the sins of their parents. You are a great and powerful God; you are the Lord Almighty. 19 You make wise plans and do mighty things; you see everything that people do, and you reward them according to their actions. 20 Long ago you performed miracles and wonders in Egypt, and you have continued to perform them to this day, both in Israel and among all the other nations, so that you are now known everywhere. 21 By means of miracles and wonders that terrified our enemies, you used your power and might to bring your people Israel out of Egypt. 22 You gave them this rich and fertile land, as you had promised their ancestors. 23 But when they came into this land and took possession of it, they did not obey your commands or live according to your teaching; they did nothing that you had ordered them to do. And so you brought all this destruction on them.
24 “The Babylonians have built siege mounds around the city to capture it, and they are attacking. War, starvation, and disease will make the city fall into their hands. You can see that all you have said has come true. 25 Yet, Sovereign Lord, you are the one who ordered me to buy the field in the presence of witnesses, even though the city is about to be captured by the Babylonians.”
26 Then the Lord said to me, 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all people. Nothing is too difficult for me. 28 I am going to give this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army; they will capture it 29 and set it on fire. They will burn it down, together with the houses where people have made me angry by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out wine offerings to other gods. 30 From the very beginning of their history the people of Israel and the people of Judah have displeased me and made me angry by what they have done. 31 The people of this city have made me angry and furious from the day it was built. I have decided to destroy it 32 because of all the evil that has been done by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, together with their kings and leaders, their priests and prophets. 33 They turned their backs on me; and though I kept on teaching them, they would not listen and learn. 34 They even placed their disgusting idols in the Temple built for my worship, and they have defiled it. 35 They have built altars to Baal in Hinnom Valley, to sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. I did not command them to do this, and it did not even enter my mind that they would do such a thing and make the people of Judah sin.”
A Promise of Hope
36 The Lord, the God of Israel, said to me, “Jeremiah, the people are saying that war, starvation, and disease will make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylonia. Now listen to what else I have to say. 37 I am going to gather the people from all the countries where I have scattered them in my anger and fury, and I am going to bring them back to this place and let them live here in safety. 38 Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them a single purpose in life: to honor me for all time, for their own good and the good of their descendants. 40 I will make an eternal covenant with them. I will never stop doing good things for them, and I will make them fear me with all their heart, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will take pleasure in doing good things for them, and I will establish them permanently in this land.
42 “Just as I have brought this disaster on these people, so I am going to give them all the good things that I have promised. 43 The people are saying that this land will be like a desert where neither people nor animals live, and that it will be given over to the Babylonians. But fields will once again be bought in this land. 44 People will buy them, and the deeds will be signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will take place in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, and in the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah. I will restore the people to their land. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Jeremija pērk tīrumu Jeruzālemes aplenkuma laikā
1 Vārds, kas Jeremijam nāca no Kunga Jūdas ķēniņa Cedekijas desmitajā gadā, tas bija astoņpadsmitais Nebūkadnecara valdīšanas gads. 2 Tolaik Bābeles ķēniņa karaspēks bija aplencis Jeruzālemi, bet pravietis Jeremija bija ieslodzīts Jūdas ķēniņa nama cietuma pagalmā. 3 Viņu ieslodzīja Jūdas ķēniņš Cedekija, sacīdams: “Kādēļ tu pravietoji: tā saka Kungs: redzi, es atdodu šo pilsētu Bābeles ķēniņa rokā, un viņš to ieņems. 4 Un Jūdas ķēniņš Cedekija nepaglābsies no kaldiešu rokas, viņš tiks atdots Bābeles ķēniņa rokā – runās ar viņu muti pret muti un skatīsies aci pret aci! 5 Viņš aizvedīs Cedekiju uz Bābeli, un tur tas paliks, kamēr es viņu piemeklēšu, saka Kungs, jo, kaut tu pret kaldiešiem cīnīsies, tu tos nepieveiksi!”
6 Jeremija teica: “Pār mani nāca Kunga vārds: 7 redzi, Hanamēls, Šallūma dēls, tavs tēvocis, nāk pie tevis un saka: pērc manu lauku, kas Anātotā, jo tev ir pirmpirkuma tiesības.” 8 Kā Kungs bija teicis, pie manis uz cietuma pagalmu atnāca mana tēvoča dēls Hanamēls un teica: “Pērc jel manu lauku, kas Anātotā, Benjāmina zemē, jo tev ir mantošanas un pirmpirkuma tiesības, pērc to sev!” Un es zināju, ka tas ir Kunga vārds. 9 Un es nopirku no Hanamēla, mana tēvoča dēla, lauku, kas Anātotā, un iesvēru viņam sudrabu – septiņpadsmit šekeļus sudraba. 10 Par darījumu es uzrakstīju līgumu, apzīmogoju, apliecināju ar lieciniekiem un uz svariem nosvēru sudrabu. 11 Un es paņēmu apzīmogoto līgumu ar nosacījumiem un noteikumiem, un pirkšanas apliecības norakstu. 12 Un es iedevu pirkšanas līgumu Bārūham, Nērijas dēlam, Mahsēja dēlam, mana tēvoča Hanamēla un liecinieku klātbūtnē, un tie parakstījās pirkšanas līgumā visu to jūdu klātbūtnē, kuri sēdēja cietuma pagalmā. 13 Viņu klātbūtnē es pavēlēju Bārūham: 14 “Tā saka Pulku Kungs, Israēla Dievs: ņemiet šo apzīmogoto pirkšanas līgumu un šo pirkšanas apliecību un lieciet tos māla traukā, lai tie var glabāties daudzas dienas.” 15 Tā saka Pulku Kungs, Israēla Dievs: “Šajā zemē atkal pirks namus, laukus un vīnadārzus!”
Jeremija lūdz šā notikuma izskaidrojumu
16 Atdevis Bārūham, Nērijas dēlam, pirkšanas līgumu, es lūdzos Kungu: 17 “Ak, Kungs Dievs! Redzi, ar savu lielo spēku un ar savu izstiepto elkoni tu radīji debesis un zemi, nekas tev nav neiespējams! 18 Tu izrādi žēlastību tūkstošiem un tēvu grēkus piepildi pie viņu bērniem! Lielais un varenais Dievs, Pulku Kungs ir tavs vārds! 19 Liels padomā un darbu skaitā! – Tavas acis ir atdarītas pār visiem cilvēka dēlu ceļiem, lai katram darītu pēc viņa gājuma un pēc viņa darba augļiem. 20 Tu darīji zīmes un brīnumus Ēģiptes zemē, līdz šai dienai Israēlā un pie cilvēkiem, tā tu iemantoji slavu, un tā pastāv vēl šodien! 21 Ar zīmēm un brīnumiem, savu stipro roku un izstiepto elkoni, un šausmas dvesošiem brīnumiem tu izvedi savu tautu no Ēģiptes zemes! 22 Tu devi viņiem šo zemi, kā biji zvērējis to dot viņu tēviem, zemi, kur plūst medus un piens! 23 Un viņi atnāca un to iemantoja, bet tavā balsī neklausījās un pēc tavas bauslības nestaigāja, visu, ko tu tiem vēlēji darīt, tie nedarīja, – tad tu liki, lai tiem notiek šis ļaunums! 24 Redzi, ap pilsētu jau aplenkuma valnis, un to ieņems – ar zobenu, badu un mēri šī pilsēta ir atdota kaldiešu rokās, kuri karo pret to! Kā tu teici, tā ir! Nu tu redzi! 25 Un tu, Kungs Dievs, man teici: pērc lauku par sudrabu un apliecini to ar lieciniekiem! – Bet nu pilsēta atdota kaldiešiem!”
Dieva atbilde
26 Un Kunga vārds nāca pār Jeremiju: 27 “Redzi, es esmu Kungs, visu dzīvo Dievs! Vai man kas ir neiespējams!? 28 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs: redzi, šo pilsētu es atdošu kaldiešu rokā un Bābeles ķēniņa Nebūkadnecara rokā, un viņš to ieņems! 29 Un kaldiešu karavīri nāks pār šo pilsētu un to nodedzinās ar uguni, nosvilinās gan to, gan mājas, uz kuru jumtiem kvēpināja Baalam un laistīja lejamos upurus citiem dieviem, mani kaitinādami! 30 Jo Jūdas dēli un Israēla dēli kopš jaunības darījuši ļaunu pret mani, Israēla dēli mani tikai kaitinājuši ar saviem darinājumiem, saka Kungs. 31 Šī pilsēta man ir bijusi par dusmām un niknumu no dienas, kad viņi to uzcēla, līdz šai dienai! Es to novākšu no savas priekšas! 32 Visa Israēla dēlu un Jūdas dēlu ļaunuma dēļ, ko tie darīja, mani kaitinādami: viņi, viņu ķēniņi, viņu augstmaņi, viņu priesteri un viņu pravieši, Jūdas vīri un Jeruzālemes iemītnieki! 33 Man viņi pagrieza muguru, ne seju, kaut es viņus mācīju, bez mitas mācīju, bet viņi neklausīja un mācību nepieņēma! 34 Viņi laistīja savas preteklības namā, kas saukts manā vārdā, to sagānīdami. 35 Ben-Hinnomas ielejā viņi cēla augstienes Baalam, lai ziedotu Moleham savus dēlus un meitas, – es viņiem to nepavēlēju, no manas mutes tas nenāca, ka tie dara šo preteklību, apgrēcinādami Jūdu!
36 Tādēļ tagad tā saka Kungs, Israēla Dievs, par šo pilsētu, par ko jūs sakāt, ka tā atdota Bābeles ķēniņa rokā ar zobenu, badu un mēri: 37 redzi, es sapulcēšu viņus no visām tām zemēm, kur esmu tos aiztriecis – savās dusmās, niknumā un bardzībā, un es viņus atvedīšu uz šejieni atpakaļ un ļaušu tiem dzīvot drošībā. 38 Un viņi būs mana tauta, un es būšu viņu Dievs! 39 Es došu tiem vienu prātu un vienu gaitu, lai tie bīstas mani uz mūžiem par labu sev pašiem un saviem dēliem. 40 Es slēgšu ar viņiem mūža derību, ka es nenovērsīšos no viņiem un darīšu tiem labu, un es likšu tiem sirdī manis bijāšanu, lai tie nenovēršas no manis. 41 Un es līksmošu, tiem darīdams labu, patiesi – es dēstīšu viņus šai zemē no visas sirds un dvēseles!
42 Jo tā saka Kungs: kā es nesu šai tautai visu šo lielo ļaunumu, tā es nesīšu viņiem visu labo, ko esmu apsolījis. 43 Šai zemē tiks pirkti lauki, par kuriem jūs sakāt: tie ir nopostīti, kur ne zvēra, ne cilvēka, tie atdoti kaldiešu rokā, – 44 laukus par sudrabu pirks, slēgs līgumus, apzīmogos un apliecinās ar lieciniekiem. Benjāmina zemē, visapkārt Jeruzālemei un Jūdas pilsētās, kalnienes pilsētās un Šefelas pilsētās, un Negebas pilsētās, jo gūstekņus es atvedīšu atpakaļ,” saka Kungs.
