Jeremiah Buys Hanamel’s Field

1These wordes spake the LORDE vnto Ieremy, in the tenth yeare of Sedechias kinge of Iuda, which was ye xviij yeare of Nabuchodonosor, 2what tyme as the kinge of Babilons hooste layed sege vnto Ierusalem. But Ieremy the prophet laye bounde in ye courte of the preson, which was in the kinge of Iudaes house: 3where Sedechias the kinge of Iuda caused him to be layed, because he had prophecied of this maner: Thus saieth the LORDE: Beholde, I will delyuer this cite in to the hondes of the kinge of Babilon, which shal take it. 4As for Sedechias the kinge of Iuda, he shal not be able to escape the Caldees, but surely he shall come in to the hondes of the kinge of Babilon: which shall speake with him mouth to mouth, and one of them shall loke another in the face. 5And Sedechias shalbe caried vnto Babilon, and there shall he be, vntill the tyme that I vyset him, saieth the LORDE. But yf thou takest in hode to fight agaynst the Caldees, thou shalt not prospere.

6And Ieremy sayde: Thus hath the LORDE spoken vnto me: 7Beholde, Hananeel the sonne of Sellum thine Vncles sonne shall come vnto the, and requyre the to redeme ye londe, that lieth in Anathot vnto thy self: for by reason of kynred it is thy parte to redeme it, and to bye it out. 8And so Hananeel myne Vncles sonne came to me in the courte of the preson, (acordinge to the worde of the LORDE,) and sayde vnto me: Bye my londe (I praye the) that lieth in Anothot in the countre of Ben Iamyn: for by heretage thou hast right to lowse it out for thy self, therfore redeme it. Then I preceaued, that this was the commaundement of the LORDE,

9and so I lowsed the londe from Hananeel of Anathot, myne Vncles sonne, and weyed him there the moneye: euen seuen sycles, and ten syluer pens. 10I caused him also to make me a writinge, and to seale it, and called recorde there by, and weyed him there the money vpon the waightes. 11So I toke the euydence with the copie (when it was orderly sealed and red ouer) 12and I gaue the euydence vnto Baruch the sonne of Nerias the sonne of Maasia in the sight of Hananeel my cosen, and in the presence of the witnesses, that be named in the euydence, and before all the Iewes that were therby in the courte of the preson. 13I charged Baruch also before them, saienge: 14The LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel commaundeth the, to take this sealed euydence with the copie, and to laye it in an erthen vessell, that it maye longe continue. 15For the LORDE of hoostes of the God of Israel hath determed, that houses, feldes and vynyardes shalbe possessed agayne in this londe.

Jeremiah Prays for Understanding

16Now when I had delyuered the euydence vnto Baruch ye sonne of Nerias, I besought the LORDE, sayenge: 17O LORDE God, It is thou that hast made heauen and earth with thy greate power and hie arme, and there is nothinge to harde for ye. 18Thou shewest mercy vpon thousandes, thou recompecest the wickednes of the fathers, in to the besome of the children that come after them. 19Thou art the greate and mightie God, whose name is the LORDE of hoostes: greate in councell, and infinite in thought: Thine eyes loke vpon all the wayes of mens children, to rewarde euery one after his waye, and acordinge to the frutes of his inuencions: 20Thou hast done greate tokens and wonders in the londe of Egipte (as we se this daye) vpon the people of Israel and vpon those men: to make thy name greate, as it is come to passe this daye: 21Thou hast brought thy people of Israel out of the londe of Egipte, with tokens, with wondres, with a mightie honde, with a stretched out arme and with greate terriblenes: 22and hast geuen them this londe, like as thou haddest promysed vnto their fathers: Namely, that thou woldest geue them a lode, that floweth with mylke and honye. 23Now when they came therin, and possessed it, they folowed not thy voyce, and walked not in thy lawe: but all that thou commaundedest them to do, that haue they not done, and therfore come all these plages vpon them. 24Beholde, there are bulworckes made now agaynst the cite, to take it: and it shalbe wonne of the Caldees that besege it, with swearde, with honger and death, and loke what thou hast spoken, that same shal come vpon them. For lo, all thinges are present vnto the: 25Yet sayest thou vnto me (o LORDE God) and commaundest me, that I shall loose a pece of londe vnto my self, and take witnesses therto: and yet in the meane season the cite is delyuered in to the power of the Caldees.

The LORD Answers Jeremiah

26Then came the worde of the LORDE vnto me, sayenge: 27Beholde, I am the LORDE God of all flesh, Is there eny thinge then to harde for me? 28Therfore thus sayde the LORDE: beholde, I shal delyuer this cite in to the power of the Caldees, and in to the power of Nabuchodonosor the kinge of Babilon, they shall take it in: 29For the Caldees shall come, and wynne this cite, and set fyre vpon it, and burne it: with the gorgeous houses, in whose parlers they haue made sacrifice vnto Baal, and poured drynkeofferinges vnto straunge goddes, to prouoke me vnto wrath. 30For seinge the children of Israel and the children of Iuda haue wrought wickednes before me euer from their youth vp, what haue they els done, but prouoked me with the workes of their owne hondes? saieth the LORDE. 31Or, what hath this cite bene els, but a prouokinge of my wrath, euer sence the daye that I buylded it, vnto this houre? Wherin I cast it out of my sight, 32be cause of the greate blasphemies of the childre of Israel and Iuda, which they haue done to prouoke me: yee they, their kinges, their prynces, their prestes, their prophetes, whole Iuda, and all the citesyns of Ierusalem. 33When I stode vp early, and taught them and instructe them, they turned their backes to me, and not their faces. 34They wolde not heare, to be refourmed and correcte. They hane set their goddes in ye house, that is halowed vnto my name, to defyle it. 35They haue buylded hie places for Baal in the valley of the children of Ennon, to vowe their sonnes and doughters vnto Moloch: which I neuer commauded them, nether came it euer in my thought, to make Iuda synne with soch abhominacion.

A Promise of Restoration
(Ezekiel 11:13–21)

36Morouer thus hath the LORDE God of Israel spoken, concernynge this cite, which (as ye youre selues confesse) shalbe delyuered in to the honde of the kinge of Babilon, when it is wonne with the swerde, with honger and with pestilence. 37Beholde, I will gather them together from all londes, wherin I haue scatred them in my wrath, in my fearfull and greate displeasure: and will bringe them agayne vnto this place, where they shal dwell safely. 38And they shalbe my people, and I wilbe their God. 39And I will geue them one herte and one waye, that they maye feare me all the daies of their life, that they and their children after them maye prospere. 40And I will set vp an euerlastinge couenaunt with them, Namely: that I will neuer ceasse to do them good, and that I will put my feare in their hertes, so that they shall not runne awaye fro me. 41Yee I will haue a lust and pleasure to do them good, and faithfully to plante them in this londe, with my whole herte, and with all my soule. 42For thus saieth the LORDE: like as I haue brought all this greate plage vpon this people: so will I also bringe vpon them all the good, that I haue promysed them 43And men shall haue their possessions in this londe, wherof ye saye now, that it shal nether be inhabited of people ner of catell, but be deliuered in to the hodes of the Caldees: 44Yee londe shalbe bought for money, & euydeces made ther vpon & sealed before witnesses in the countre of Ben Iamin, & rounde aboute Ierusalem: in the cities of Iuda, in the cities that are vpo the mountaynes, & in them that lie beneth, yee & in the cities that are in the deserte. For I wil bringe their presoners hither agayne, saieth the LORDE.