Fields will again be bought with silver, and deeds of purchase signed, sealed, and witnessed. This will happen in the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, the towns in Judah, the southern hill country, the western foothills, and southern Judah.<n id="1" /> For I will restore them to their land.<n id="2" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

For I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in this city and the royal buildings which have been torn down for defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians:<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="1" /> &#8216;You and your people are saying<n id="2" /> about this place, &#8220;It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.&#8221; That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem<n id="3" /> will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all, say:<n id="1" /> &#8216;This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep.

I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold.<n id="1" /> They will do this in all the towns in the southern hill country, the western foothills, the southern hill country, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

&#8220;You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven&#8217;t you? They are saying,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah<n id="2" /> that he chose.&#8217; So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> spoke to Jeremiah while King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem<n id="1" /> and the towns around it with a large army. This army consisted of troops from his own army and from the kingdoms and peoples of the lands under his dominion.<n id="2" />

You will die a peaceful death. They will burn incense at your burial just as they did at the burial of your ancestors, the former kings who preceded you.<n id="1" /> They will mourn for you, saying, &#8220;Poor, poor master!&#8221;<n id="2" /> Indeed, you have my own word on this.<n id="3" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

For I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm that<n id="1" /> I will soon give the order and bring them back to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in them.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;p>

I took them to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. I took them into the room where the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed.<n id="1" /> That room was next to the one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of Shallum, one of the doorkeepers<n id="2" /> of the temple, stayed.

<p class="bodytext">Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.&#8217;

<p class="bodytext">So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the <sc>Lordsc> had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll.<n id="1" />

All the people living in Jerusalem<n id="1" /> and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the <sc>Lordsc>. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.<n id="2" />

He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes,<n id="1" /> Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the <sc>Lordsc> hid them.p>

Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;You burned the scroll. You asked<n id="1" /> Jeremiah, &#8216;How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />

So the <sc>Lordsc> says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, &#8220;None of his line will occupy the throne of David.<n id="1" /> His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">King Zedekiah sent<n id="1" /> Jehucal<n id="2" /> son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah<n id="3" /> son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. He told them to say, &#8220;Please pray to the <sc>Lordsc> our God on our behalf.&#8221;

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says, &#8216;Give a message to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help him.<n id="1" /> Tell him, &#8220;The army of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back home to Egypt.<n id="2" />

Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him privately and asked him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Is there any message from the <sc>Lordsc>?&#8221; Jeremiah answered, &#8220;Yes, there is.&#8221; Then he announced,<n id="2" /> &#8220;You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.&#8221;<n id="3" />

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease.<n id="1" /> Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians<n id="2" /> will live. They will escape with their lives.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />