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The worde that came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, in the tenth yere of Zedekiah king of Iudah, which was the eightenth yeere of Nebuchad-nezzar.
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For then the King of Babels hoste besieged Ierusalem: And Ieremiah the Prophet was shutte vp in the court of the prison, which was in the King of Iudahs house.
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For Zedekiah King of Iudah had shut him vp, saying, Wherefore doest thou prophesie, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Beholde, I will giue this citie into the handes of the King of Babel, and he shall take it?
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And Zedekiah the King of Iudah shall not escape out of the hande of the Caldeans, but shall surely be deliuered into the handes of the King of Babel, and shall speake with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall beholde his face,
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And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babel, and there shall he be, vntil I visit him, saith ye Lord: though ye fight with the Caldeans, ye shall not prosper.
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And Ieremiah said, The word of the Lord came vnto me, saying,
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Beholde, Hanameel, the sonne of Shallum thine vncle, shall come vnto thee and say, Bye vnto thee my fielde, that is in Anathoth: for the title by kindred appertaineth vnto thee to bye it.
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So Hanameel, mine vncles sonne, came to mee in the court of the prison, according to the word of the Lord, and said vnto me, Bye my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the countrey of Beniamin: for the right of the possession is thine, and the purchase belongeth vnto thee: bye it for thee. Then I knewe that this was the worde of the Lord.
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And I bought the field of Hanameel, mine vncles sonne, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the siluer, euen seuen shekels, and tenne pieces of siluer.
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And I writ it in the booke and signed it, and tooke witnesses, and weighed him the siluer in the balances.
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So I tooke the booke of the possession, being sealed according to the Lawe, and custome, with the booke that was open,
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And I gaue the booke of the possession vnto Baruch the sonne of Neriah, the sonne of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine vncles sonne, and in the presence of the witnesses, written in the booke of the possession, before al the Iewes that sate in the court of the prison.
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And I charged Baruch before them, saying,
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Thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Take the writings, euen this booke of the possession, both that is sealed, and this booke that is open, and put them in an earthen vessell, that they may continue a long time.
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For the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel saith thus, Houses and fieldes, and vineyardes shall be possessed againe in this land.
Jeremiah Prays for Understanding
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Now when I had deliuered the booke of the possession vnto Baruch, the sonne of Neriah, I prayed vnto the Lord, saying,
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Ah Lord God, beholde, thou hast made the heauen and the earth by thy great power, and by thy stretched out arme, and there is nothing hard vnto thee.
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Thou shewest mercie vnto thousands, and recompensest the iniquitie of the fathers into the bosome of their children after them: O God the great and mightie, whose Name is ye Lord of hostes,
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Great in counsell, and mightie in worke, (for thine eyes are open vpon all the wayes of ye sonnes of men, to giue to euery one according to his wayes, and according to the fruite of his workes)
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Which hast set signes and wonders in the land of Egypt vnto this day, and in Israel, and among all men, and hast made thee a Name, as appeareth this day,
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And hast brought thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signes, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, with a stretched out arme, and with great terrour,
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And hast giuen them this land, which thou diddest sweare to their fathers to giue them, euen a land, that floweth with milke and hony,
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And they came in, and possessed it, but they obeyed not thy voyce, neither walked in thy Law: all that thou commaundedst them to doe, they haue not done: therefore thou hast caused this whole plague to come vpon them.
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Beholde, the mounts, they are come into the citie to take it, and the citie is giuen into the hande of the Caldeans, that fight against it by meanes of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence, and what thou hast spoken, is come to passe, and beholde, thou seest it.
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And thou hast sayd vnto me, O Lord God, Bye vnto thee the fielde for siluer, and take witnesses: for the citie shall be giuen into the hand of the Caldeans.
The LORD Answers Jeremiah
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Then came the worde of the Lord vnto Ieremiah, saying,
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Beholde, I am the LORD GOD of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
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Therefore thus saith the Lord, Beholde, I wil giue this citie into the hand of the Caldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchad-nezzar, King of Babel, and he shall take it.
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And the Caldeans shall come and fight against this citie, and set fire on this citie and burne it, with the houses, vpon whose rouses they haue offred incense vnto Baal, and powred drinke offrings vnto other gods, to prouoke me vnto anger.
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For the children of Israel, and the children of Iudah haue surely done euill before me from their youth: for the children of Israel haue surely prouoked me to anger with the workes of their hands, saith the Lord.
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Therefore this citie hath bene vnto me as a prouocation of mine anger, and of my wrath, from the day, that they built it, euen vnto this day, that I should remoue it out of my sight,
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Because of all the euill of the children of Israel, and of the children of Iudah, which they haue done to prouoke mee to anger, euen they, their Kings, their Princes, their Priests, and their Prophets, and the men of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem.
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And they haue turned vnto me the backe and not the face: though I taught them rising vp earely, and instructing them, yet they were not obedient to receiue doctrine,
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But they set their abominations in ye house (whereupon my Name was called) to defile it,
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And they built the hie places of Baal, which are in the valley of Ben-hinnom, to cause their sonnes and their daughters to passe through the fire vnto Molech, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my minde, that they should doe such abomination, to cause Iudah to sinne.
A Promise of Restoration
(Ezekiel 11:13–21)
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And nowe therefore, thus hath the Lord God of Israel spoken, concerning this citie, whereof ye say, It shalbe deliuered into the hand of the King of Babel by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence,
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Beholde, I will gather them out of all countreys, wherein I haue scattered them in mine anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation, and I wil bring them againe vnto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.
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And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
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And I wil giue them one heart and one way that they may feare me for euer for ye wealth of them, and of their children after them.
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And I wil make an euerlasting couenant with them, that I wil neuer turne away from them to doe them good, but I wil put my feare in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
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Yea, I wil delite in them to do them good, and I wil plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart, and with all my soule.
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For thus sayth the Lord, Like as I haue brought all this great plague vpon this people, so wil I bring vpon them all the good that I haue promised them.
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And the fields shalbe possessed in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast, and shalbe giuen into the hand of the Caldeans.
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Men shall buy fields for siluer, and make writings and seale them, and take witnesses in the land of Beniamin, and round about Ierusalem, and in the cities of Iudah, and in the cities of the mountaines, and in the cities of the plaine, and in the cities of the South: for I wil cause their captiuitie to returne, saith the Lord.