Jeremiah Buys a Field
1 The Lord spoke to me in the tenth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia. 2 At that time, the Babylonian army had surrounded Jerusalem, and I was in the prison at the courtyard of the palace guards. 3 Zedekiah had ordered me to be held there because I told everyone that the Lord had said:
I am the Lord, and I am about to let the king of Babylonia conquer Jerusalem. 4 King Zedekiah will be captured and taken to King Nebuchadnezzar, who will speak with him face to face. 5 Then Zedekiah will be led away to Babylonia, where he will stay until I am finished with him. So, if you people of Judah fight against the Babylonians, you will lose. I, the Lord, have spoken.
6 Later, when I was in prison, the Lord said:
7 Jeremiah, your cousin Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, will visit you. He must sell his field near the town of Anathoth, and because you are his nearest relative, you have the right and the responsibility to buy it and keep it in the family.
8 Hanamel came, just as the Lord had promised. And he said, “Please buy my field near Anathoth in the territory of the Benjamin tribe. You have the right to buy it, and if you do, it will stay in our family.”
The Lord had told me to buy it 9 from Hanamel, and so I did. The price was 17 pieces of silver, and I weighed out the full amount on a scale. 10-11 I had two copies of the bill of sale written out: an official copy containing the details of our agreement and another copy, without the details. Some witnesses and I signed the official copy, which was folded and tied, before being sealed shut with hot wax. Then I gave Hanamel the silver. 12 And while he, the witnesses, and all the other Jews sitting in the courtyard were still watching, I gave both copies to Baruch son of Neriah.
13-14 I told Baruch that the Lord had said:
Take both copies of this bill of sale, one sealed shut and the other open, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, and I promise you that people will once again buy and sell houses, farms, and vineyards in this country.
Jeremiah Questions the Lord
16 Then I prayed:
17 Lord God, you stretched out your mighty arm and made the sky and the earth. You can do anything. 18 You show kindness for a thousand generations, but you also punish people for the sins of their parents. You are the Lord All-Powerful. 19 With great wisdom you make plans, and with your great power you do all the mighty things you planned. Nothing we do is hidden from your eyes, and you reward or punish us as we deserve.
20 You are famous because you worked miracles in Egypt, and you are still working them in Israel and in the rest of the world as well. 21 You terrified the Egyptians with your miracles, and you reached out your mighty arm and rescued your people Israel from Egypt. 22 Then you gave Israel this land rich with milk and honey, just as you had promised our ancestors.
23 But when our ancestors took over the land, they did not obey you. And now you have punished Israel with disaster. 24 Jerusalem is under attack, and we suffer from hunger and disease. The Babylonians have already built dirt ramps up to the walls of our city, and you can see that Jerusalem will be captured just as you said.
25 So why did you tell me to get some witnesses and buy a field with my silver, when Jerusalem is about to be captured by the Babylonians?
The Lord Explains about the Field
26 The Lord explained:
27 Jeremiah, I am the Lord God. I rule the world, and I can do anything!
28 It is true that I am going to let King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia capture Jerusalem. 29 The Babylonian army is already attacking, and they will capture the city and set it on fire. The people of Jerusalem have made me angry by going up to the flat roofs of their houses and burning incense to Baal and offering wine sacrifices to other gods. Now these houses will be burned to the ground!
30-33 The kings and the officials, the priests and the prophets, and everyone else in Israel and Judah have turned from me and made me angry by worshiping idols. Again and again I have tried to teach my people to obey me, but they refuse to be corrected.
I am going to get rid of Jerusalem, because its people have done nothing but evil. 34 They have set up repulsive idols in my temple, and now it isn't a fit place to worship me. 35 And they led Judah into sin by building places to worship Baal in Hinnom Valley, where they also sacrificed their sons and daughters to the god Molech. I have never even imagined they would commit such disgusting sins.
36 Jeremiah, what you said is true. The people of Jerusalem are suffering from hunger and disease, and so the king of Babylonia will be able to capture Jerusalem.
37 I am angry with the people of Jerusalem, and I will scatter them in foreign countries. But someday I will bring them back here and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39-41 I will make their thoughts and desires pure. Then they will realize that, for their own good and the good of their children, they must worship only me. They will even be afraid to turn away from me. I will make an agreement with them that will never end, and I won't ever stop doing good things for them. With all my heart I promise that they will be planted in this land once again. 42 Even though I have brought disaster on the people, I will someday do all these good things for them.
43 Jeremiah, when you bought the field, you showed that fields will someday be bought and sold again. You say that this land has been conquered by the Babylonians and has become a desert, emptied of people and animals. 44 But someday, people will again spend their silver to buy fields everywhere—in the territory of Benjamin, the region around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, and in the hill country, the foothills to the west, and the Southern Desert. Buyers and sellers and witnesses will sign and seal the bills of sale for the fields. It will happen, because I will give this land back to my people. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Jeremiya unotenga nnda
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe mu gole le bugumi la Zedekiya mambo we Juda lili gole le bugumi lina zhanakadzi la Nebukadineza. 2 Mu tjibaka itjetjo babhayani be mambo we Bhabhiloni bakabe bakakomba Jerusalema, ngono Nlebesambeli Jeremiya wakabe akazhaliligwa mu nsha we nlindi wakabe uli mu ng'umba ye bumambo ye mambo we Juda.
3 Ipapo Zedekiya mambo we Juda wakabe akanzhalilila ikoko eti, “Ini ulebesambeli uti, ‘Yahwe bakati, “Bonani ndolonga nzi nkulu iwoyu mu luboko gwe mambo we Bhabhiloni ngono unowoutola. 4 Zedekiya mambo we Juda aangapudzumuke mu luboko gwe Babhabhiloni ngono unowolongwa mu maboko a mambo we Bhabhiloni, unowolebeleka naye bakalingisana nge mesho awe. 5 Unowotolela Zedekiya ku Bhabhiloni ngono unowogala ikoko kuswikila ndizwilingisanya naye, koleba Yahwe. Nenguba mungagwa ne Bakhaladiya amungakunde.” ’ ”
6 Ngono Jeremiya kabe eti, “Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti, 7 ‘Bona Hanameli nkololo wa Shalumu batatenini babo banowozha kukuli beti, “Tenga nnda wangu uku Anatoti ngoti se uli gamu lipejo una fanilo ne ndingisanyo kuwotenga.” 8 Ipapo Hanameli nkololo wa batatenini kazha kundili ku nsha we nlindi kuyendidzana ne dama la Yahwe ngono kandidwa kati, “Tenga nnda wangu uku Anatoti mu shango ye Bhenjamini ngoti fanilo ne ndingisanyo dzekuti uwotenge nde dzidzo, zwitengele iwo.” Ipapo ndakaziba kuti ikoku kwakabe kuli dama la Yahwe. 9 Ndizo ndakatenga nnda ku Anatoti mu mwana wa batatenini Hanameli ngono an'lizanyidza shekele dze siliva dzili gumi lina dzili tendeka (17). 10 Ndakakwala lukwalo, atuna adana ne batendeki alizanyila siliva mu zwiyelo. 11 Ndakatola lukwalo gwe thengo gwandakatuna kuyendidzana nge nlayo ne zwinoshakika kose ne gwandisakatuna guli ntutshi, 12 ndakagupa Bharuku nkololo wa Neriya, Neriya ali nkololo wa Maheseya mbeli kwa Hanameli mwana wa batatenini na mbeli kwe batendeki bakabiga tjinyala mu lukwalo gwe thengo kakale na mbeli kwe Bajuta bose bakabe baligele mu nsha we nlindi.
13 “ ‘Ndakadwa Bharuku mbeli kwabo nditi, 14 “Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, tola mikwalo iyeyi ye thengo lukwalo gwandakatuna ne ntutshi we gwandisakatuna udzibige mu jegwa le ntapkhwi kuti ndizo dzibe ne butjilo gulefu. 15 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ng'umba ne minda ne minda ye mizhambi inowotengwa kakale mu shango iyeyi.” ’
16 “Ndakati ndisinopa Bharuku nkololo wa Neriya lukwalo gwe thengo ndakatembezela kuna Yahwe nditi, 17 ‘Awo She Yahwe, ndimwi makathama zhuzhugwi ne shango nge simba lenyu gulu nenge luboko gwenyu kwakatambunuka! Akuna tjakamusimila, 18 makalakidza ludo gusingazunguzike kuna bali tjiwulu koga mozhisa shamu ngekwe milandu ya botate ku bana babo banobatobela, imwi bankulu kakale Ndzimu wakasima imwi zina lenyu ndi Yahwe Masimbawose, 19 mu nkulu mukukumbuludza, makasima mu nshingo. Mesho enyu akazhukila zila dzose dze bathu, molipa mmwe ne mmwe kuyendidzana ne mazwibhato awe nenge mishingo iye yakanfanila. 20 Makashinga zwilakidzo zwinotjenamisa ne makaabadzo ku Egipiti kakale makaadwililisa kuswikila zhuba la nasi, mu Iziraela ne mu bathu bose, makazwithamila zina na nasi kose. 21 Makadusa bathu benyu Baiziraela mu shango ye Egipiti nge zwilakidzo ne matjenamiso, nge luboko gwenyu gwakasima nenge luboko gwenyu gwakatambunuka nenge kupalusa moyo kukulu kwazo, 22 makabapa shango iyeyi, iyo yamakatuna kuna bobatategulu babo kuti mowobapa iyo, shango inowunga nkaka ne butji gwe nyutji, 23 ngono bakangina muili bakaitola. Koga abazobhulutana hwi lenyu kene bakayenda kuyendidzana nge nlayo wenyu, akuna tjabakathama tja zose zwamakati bathame. Ndizo makazhisa mbatsha idzedzi mubali.
24 “ ‘Bona dziduduma dze mavu dzakabakwa kupoteleka nzi nkulu kuti utogwe, ngekwe thumo ne bhamba ne bugwele nzi nkulu walongwa mu maboko e Bakhaladiya banobhayana nawo. Tjawakaleba tjakashingikala sekwa unobona. 25 Koga She Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Tenga nnda nge siliva, dana batendeki nenguba nzi nkulu ulongwa mu maboko e Bakhaladiya.” ’ ”
26 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jeremiya liti, 27 “Bona, ndimi Yahwe Ndzimu we bathu bose, apa kuna tjakandisimila kene? 28 Ndizo Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, ‘Bona, ndolonga nzi nkulu iwoyu mu maboko e Bakhaladiya ne mu luboko gwa Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni, ngono unoitola. 29 Bakhaladiya banobhayana ne nzi iwoyu nkulu banowozha bakabhatidza nzi iwoyu bakaupisa nge moto, nenge ng'umba dzakati matenga adzo kapisigwa motsha upisigwa Bhaale ne zwipo zwe zwing'o zwakapiwa midzimu ipoga kuthama kuti ndigwadzemoyo. 30 Ngoti bakololo be Iziraela ne bakololo be Juda akuna tjabakathama kuzhe kwe mbipo mbeli kwangu kudwa tjose mu butjetjana gwabo, bakololo be Iziraela akuna tjabakathama kuzhe kwe kuthama kuti ndigwadzisiwe moyo nge mishingo ye maboko abo, koleba Yahwe. 31 Nzi nkulu iwoyo wakasendedzela kugwadzamoyo kwangu ne bushongola gwangu, kudwa tjose zhuba lawakasikiwa kudzina kunoti nasi kuti ndizo ndiuduse mu mesho angu, 32 ngekwe bubi gose gwe bakololo be Iziraela ne bakololo be Juda gwabakathama kundigwadzisa moyo kuti ndibe ne bushongola ibo na bomambo babo ne makulukota abo ne bapirisiti babo ne balebesambeli babo ne bathu be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema. 33 Bakandifupatila bakasindilinge, nenguba ndakabadiya ndipaphulula ngono bakasiteedze kene kuli kusala shule ndayo. 34 Bakabiga zwithu zwabo zwinoshimisa mu ng'umba inodang'wa nge zina langu kuitemapadza. 35 Bakabakila Bhaale magalo a pezhugwi mu nkuku we Hinomu kupisila Moleki bakololo babo ne bakololokadzi babo nenguba ndisakabadwa kuti bathame saikoko, kakale akuzotongozha mu nkumbulo wangu kuti bangathama tjithu itjetji tjinoshimisa kukwebela Juda mu tjibi.’
36 “Ndizo ngwenu Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati ngekwe nzi iwoyu nkulu iwo wamunoti, ‘Wakalongwa mu luboko gwa mambo we Bhabhiloni nge thumo nenge bhamba ne bugwele, Yahwe bakati, 37 Bonani ndowobakubunganya kudwa mu shango dzose dzandakabatatila kudzili kuti bashandukile ku bugalo igogu ngono ndowobathama kuti bagale nge mbakililo. 38 Banowobe bathu bangu, imi ndowobe Ndzimu wabo. 39 Ndowobapa moyo nng'ompela nenge zila ili nng'ompela kuti ndizo banditjile tjatjose, kuti ndizo batjile zwibuyanana ne bana babo bo banozha shule kwabo batjile zwibuyanana. 40 Ndowothama nabo tjidumano tjisinga pele tjekuti anditowofa ndaletja kubathamila bubuya ngono ndowolonga kunditja mu mimoyo yabo kuti ndizo basindifupatile. 41 Ndowoshathila kubathamila bubuya ngono ndowobalima mu shango iyeyi nge kugalikabgwe nge moyo wangu wose nenge nkumbulo wangu wose.
42 “Ngoti Yahwe bakati, ‘Koga sekwa ndakazhisa mbatsha idzedzi dzingapa mu bathu ibabo ndowobazhisila kose kubuya kwandakaba gadzabgwe. 43 Minda inowotengwa mu shango yamunoti tjilambanyika koga tjisina nthu kene ng'ombe, yalongwa mu maboko e Bakhaladiya. 44 Minda inowotengwa nge mari, hwalo dze thengo dzowobigwa tjinyala dzikazhaligwa dzikabe ne batendeki mu shango ye Bhenjamini ne mizana yakapoteleka Jerusalema ne mizi ye Juda mu mizi ye shango ye matuthu neye yakakungulukila ne mu mizi mikulu ye Negebu ngoti ndowobgwiliza fumwa yabo,’ koleba Yahwe.”