New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 32
1
A message came to me from the Lord. It came in the 10th year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of the rule of Nebuchadnezzar.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 25:1
2
The armies of the king of Babylonia were getting ready to attack Jerusalem. I, the prophet Jeremiah, was being held as a prisoner. I was kept in the courtyard of the guard. It was part of Judah's royal palace.
Reference
3
Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had made me a prisoner there. He had said to me, "Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, 'The Lord says, "I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylonia. He will capture it.
4
" ' "Zedekiah, the king of Judah, will not escape from the powerful hands of the armies of Babylonia. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylonia. Zedekiah will speak with him face to face. He will see him with his own eyes.
Reference
5
Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon. Zedekiah will remain there until I deal with him," announces the Lord. "Suppose you fight against the armies of Babylonia. If you do, you will not succeed." ' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 33:5
Ezekiel 17:15
References Babylon
Jeremiah 39:7
References Lord
Jeremiah 27:22
6
I said, "A message came to me from the Lord. He said,
7
'Hanamel is going to come to you. He is the son of your uncle Shallum. Hanamel will say, "Buy my field at Anathoth. You are my closest relative. So it's your right and duty to buy it." '
Reference
People
8
"Then my cousin Hanamel came to me. I was in the courtyard of the guard. It happened just as the Lord had said it would. Hanamel said, 'Buy my field at Anathoth. It is in the territory of Benjamin. It is your right to buy it and own it. So buy it for yourself.' "I knew that this was the Lord's message.
Reference
9
So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver for him.
Reference
10
I signed and sealed the deed of purchase. I had some people witness everything. And I weighed out the silver on the scales.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 44:5
Job 14:17
Deuteronomy 32:34
Witness
Jeremiah 32:44
Jeremiah 32:12
Jeremiah 32:25
11
"There were two copies of the deed. One was sealed and the other wasn't. The deed included the terms and conditions of the sale.
Reference
Word
Luke 2:27
12
I gave Baruch the copies of the deed. My cousin Hanamel saw me do it. The witnesses who had signed the deed were there too. So were all of the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. Baruch was the son of Neriah. Neriah was the son of Mahseiah.
Reference
People
13
"I gave Baruch directions in front of all of them. I said,
14
'The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "Take this deed of purchase. Take the sealed and unsealed copies. Put them in a clay jar. Then they will last a long time."
15
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land." '
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 31:5
Jeremiah 31:24
Jeremiah 32:37
References Lord
Zechariah 3:10
Jeremiah 30:18
Jeremiah 31:12
16
"I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch, the son of Neriah. Then I prayed to the Lord. I said,
Reference
References Lord
Jeremiah 12:1
17
" 'Lord and King, you have reached out your great and powerful arm. You have made the heavens and the earth. Nothing is too hard for you.
Reference
Creation
Exodus 20:11
Jeremiah 27:5
2 Kings 19:15
Isaiah 45:12
Parallel theme
Job 42:2
References God
Luke 1:37
Jeremiah 32:27
Matthew 19:26
Luke 18:27
References Lord
Genesis 18:14
18
" 'You show your love to thousands of people. But you punish children for the sins of their fathers. Great and powerful God, your name is The Lord Who Rules Over All.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 57:15
Matthew 27:25
References God
Isaiah 10:21
Isaiah 9:6
Deuteronomy 10:17
Nehemiah 1:5
Habakkuk 1:12
References Lord
Jeremiah 10:16
Sin
Exodus 34:7
Numbers 14:18
19
Your purposes are great. Your acts are mighty. Your eyes see everything people do. You reward each one of them in keeping with his conduct. You do it based on what he has done.
Reference
20
" 'You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt. And you have continued to do them to this very day. You have done them in Israel and among all people. You are still known for doing them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Nehemiah 9:10
Exodus 9:16
References Egypt
Acts 7:36
Psalm 135:9
Exodus 10:2
Daniel 9:15
References Israel
2 Samuel 7:23
21
You brought your people Israel out of Egypt. You did it with miraculous signs and wonders. You reached out your mighty hand and powerful arm. You did great and wonderful things.
Reference
22
" 'You gave Israel this land. Long before that, you took an oath. You promised to give their people a land that had plenty of milk and honey.
Reference
23
They came in and took it over. But they did not obey you. They didn't follow your law. They didn't do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all of this trouble on them.
Reference
24
" 'See how ramps are built up against Jerusalem's walls to attack it. The city will be handed over to the armies of Babylonia. They are attacking it. It will fall because of war, hunger and plague. What you said would happen is now happening, as you can see.
Reference
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 4:26
Jeremiah 32:3
Ezekiel 21:22
Word
Jeremiah 32:36
Jeremiah 33:4
Zechariah 1:6
Ezekiel 14:21
25
Lord and King, the city will be handed over to the armies of Babylonia. In spite of that, you tell me to buy a field. You say, "Pay for it with silver. And have the sale witnessed." ' "
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 32:24
26
Then a message came to me from the Lord. He said,
27
"I am the Lord. I am the God of all people. Is anything too hard for me?"
Reference
Parallel theme
John 17:2
Psalm 65:2
References God
Matthew 19:26
Jeremiah 32:17
Luke 3:6
Numbers 27:16
Numbers 16:22
References Lord
Isaiah 64:8
28
So the Lord says, "I am about to hand this city over to the armies of Babylonia. I will give it to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. He will capture it.
Reference
29
The armies of Babylonia are now attacking this city. They will come in and set it on fire. They will burn it down. They will burn up the houses where the people made me very angry. They burned incense on their roofs to the god Baal. And they poured out drink offerings to other gods.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 21:10
Jeremiah 52:13
Jeremiah 39:8
References God
2 Chronicles 36:19
Sacrifice
Jeremiah 19:13
Jeremiah 44:25
Jeremiah 7:18
30
"The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight. They have done it since the nation was young. In fact, they have done nothing but make me very angry. They have worshiped statues of gods their own hands have made," announces the Lord.
Reference
Evil
Genesis 8:21
Parallel theme
Isaiah 63:10
Jeremiah 2:7
Jeremiah 22:21
References Lord
Jeremiah 3:25
Jeremiah 25:7
31
"This city has always stirred up my burning anger. It has done it since the day it was built. Now I must remove it from my sight.
Reference
32
"The people of Israel and Judah have made me very angry. They have done many evil things. They, their kings and officials have sinned. So have their priests and prophets. And the people of Judah and Jerusalem have also sinned.
Reference
33
They turned their backs to me. They would not face me. I taught them again and again. But they would not listen or pay attention when they were corrected.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 2:27
Ezekiel 8:16
Jeremiah 7:24
John 8:2
Sin
Jeremiah 7:13
Jeremiah 26:5
Jeremiah 35:15
34
"They set up statues of their gods. They did it in the house where I have put my Name. They made my house 'unclean.' I hate those statues.
Reference
35
"The people built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. That is where they sacrifice their children to Molech in the fire. That is something I did not command. It did not even enter my mind. They did something I hate. They made Judah sin."
Reference
36
You people of Judah are saying about this city, "By war, hunger and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylonia." But the Lord, the God of Israel, says,
Reference
37
"You can be sure that I will gather my people again. I will bring them from all of the lands where I send them when my burning anger blazes out against them. I will bring them back to this place. And I will let them live in safety.
Reference
39
I will give them a single purpose in life. Then, they will always have respect for me. I will do it for their own good. And it will be for the good of their children after them.
Reference
40
"I will make a covenant with them that will last forever. I promise that I will never stop doing good to them. I will cause them to respect me. Then they will never turn away from me again.
Reference
Covenant
Isaiah 55:3
Jeremiah 50:5
Hebrews 13:20
Good
James 1:17
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 36:26
1 Peter 1:5
Jeremiah 24:7
Ezekiel 39:29
2 Samuel 23:4
Hebrews 7:24
41
I will take pleasure in doing good things for them. I will certainly plant them in this land. I will do those things with all my heart and soul."
Reference
Good
Jeremiah 24:6
Deuteronomy 30:9
Parallel theme
Zephaniah 3:17
Amos 9:15
Isaiah 62:5
Isaiah 65:19
Jeremiah 31:28
Jeremiah 18:9
42
The Lord says, "I have brought all of this horrible trouble on these people. But now I will give them all of the good things I have promised them.
Reference
43
"Once more fields will be bought in this land. It is the land about which you now say, 'It is a dry and empty desert. It doesn't have any people or animals in it. It has been handed over to the armies of Babylonia.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 32:15
44
Fields will be bought with silver. Deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed. That will be done in the territory of Benjamin. It will be done in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. It will also be done in the towns of the central hill country. And it will be done in the towns of the western hills and the Negev Desert. I will bless their people with great success again," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 33:26
Jeremiah 33:7
References Lord
Jeremiah 17:26
Jeremiah 33:11
Witness
Jeremiah 32:10
Chapter Summary
Jeremiah 32 takes place at one of the darkest moments in Judah's history, when Jerusalem is surrounded by the Babylonian army and its destruction is only months away. Jeremiah himself is imprisoned because he has repeatedly announced that Jerusalem will fall, King Zedekiah will be captured, and the people will go into exile.
Yet precisely at this moment of apparent hopelessness, God tells Jeremiah to perform an extraordinary act: buy a field in Anathoth.
Jeremiah's cousin Hanamel comes to him and offers to sell him the family field, and Jeremiah recognizes that this is not simply a normal property transaction but a direct fulfillment of God's instruction. He pays seventeen shekels of silver, signs the legal documents, has witnesses present, and gives the deeds to Baruch for safekeeping in an earthen jar.
The purchase seems almost irrational from a human perspective. Why buy land that is about to be conquered by Babylon? Why invest in property when Jerusalem is surrounded, the economy is collapsing, and the people are about to be taken into exile?
God explains the reason: "Houses, fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land." The purchase becomes a prophetic sign that Judah's destruction will not be permanent.
Jeremiah's action therefore communicates something extremely important: he believes God's promise of restoration strongly enough to invest in a future that he personally cannot yet see. The land will be lost, but it will eventually become valuable again; Jerusalem will be destroyed, but it will eventually be rebuilt; the people will be scattered, but God will eventually gather them.
After completing the purchase, Jeremiah prays and acknowledges the tension between God's promises and Judah's present reality. He praises God as the Creator of heaven and earth and declares that nothing is too difficult for Him, remembering God's past acts of power, particularly the Exodus and the giving of the land to Israel.
At the same time, Jeremiah does not minimize Judah's guilt. He acknowledges that the people entered the land but refused to obey God, turned away from Him, practiced idolatry, polluted the Temple, and even participated in child sacrifice. Jerusalem's destruction is therefore presented as the consequence of generations of persistent rebellion rather than an arbitrary disaster.
God then answers Jeremiah's prayer by confirming both sides of the situation. Yes, Jerusalem will be handed over to Babylon. Yes, the city will burn. Yes, the people will experience war, famine, and disease. But that will not be the end.
God promises to gather His people from the nations, bring them back to the land, restore the covenant relationship, give them one heart and one way, and establish an everlasting covenant in which they will have a deeper and more enduring commitment to Him.
The chapter therefore creates a powerful contrast between what is happening now and what God promises will happen later. The Babylonian army represents immediate reality, while Jeremiah's purchased field represents future reality. One tells the people, "The land is about to be lost"; the other declares, "The land will eventually be yours again."
The central message is that faith sometimes requires acting on God's promises when present circumstances appear to contradict them, because Jeremiah purchases a field while Jerusalem is under siege, knowing that Babylon will soon destroy the city and remove its people from the land, yet he trusts that God's judgment will eventually give way to restoration; the field therefore becomes a tangible symbol of hope, demonstrating that God's purposes extend beyond immediate disaster, that nothing is too difficult for Him, and that the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah are not the final outcome, because God promises to gather His scattered people, restore their land, renew their covenant relationship, transform their hearts, and establish them again in the land He gave their ancestors.
Yet precisely at this moment of apparent hopelessness, God tells Jeremiah to perform an extraordinary act: buy a field in Anathoth.
Jeremiah's cousin Hanamel comes to him and offers to sell him the family field, and Jeremiah recognizes that this is not simply a normal property transaction but a direct fulfillment of God's instruction. He pays seventeen shekels of silver, signs the legal documents, has witnesses present, and gives the deeds to Baruch for safekeeping in an earthen jar.
The purchase seems almost irrational from a human perspective. Why buy land that is about to be conquered by Babylon? Why invest in property when Jerusalem is surrounded, the economy is collapsing, and the people are about to be taken into exile?
God explains the reason: "Houses, fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land." The purchase becomes a prophetic sign that Judah's destruction will not be permanent.
Jeremiah's action therefore communicates something extremely important: he believes God's promise of restoration strongly enough to invest in a future that he personally cannot yet see. The land will be lost, but it will eventually become valuable again; Jerusalem will be destroyed, but it will eventually be rebuilt; the people will be scattered, but God will eventually gather them.
After completing the purchase, Jeremiah prays and acknowledges the tension between God's promises and Judah's present reality. He praises God as the Creator of heaven and earth and declares that nothing is too difficult for Him, remembering God's past acts of power, particularly the Exodus and the giving of the land to Israel.
At the same time, Jeremiah does not minimize Judah's guilt. He acknowledges that the people entered the land but refused to obey God, turned away from Him, practiced idolatry, polluted the Temple, and even participated in child sacrifice. Jerusalem's destruction is therefore presented as the consequence of generations of persistent rebellion rather than an arbitrary disaster.
God then answers Jeremiah's prayer by confirming both sides of the situation. Yes, Jerusalem will be handed over to Babylon. Yes, the city will burn. Yes, the people will experience war, famine, and disease. But that will not be the end.
God promises to gather His people from the nations, bring them back to the land, restore the covenant relationship, give them one heart and one way, and establish an everlasting covenant in which they will have a deeper and more enduring commitment to Him.
The chapter therefore creates a powerful contrast between what is happening now and what God promises will happen later. The Babylonian army represents immediate reality, while Jeremiah's purchased field represents future reality. One tells the people, "The land is about to be lost"; the other declares, "The land will eventually be yours again."
The central message is that faith sometimes requires acting on God's promises when present circumstances appear to contradict them, because Jeremiah purchases a field while Jerusalem is under siege, knowing that Babylon will soon destroy the city and remove its people from the land, yet he trusts that God's judgment will eventually give way to restoration; the field therefore becomes a tangible symbol of hope, demonstrating that God's purposes extend beyond immediate disaster, that nothing is too difficult for Him, and that the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of Judah are not the final outcome, because God promises to gather His scattered people, restore their land, renew their covenant relationship, transform their hearts, and establish them again in the land He gave their ancestors.