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Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging*Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah,
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becauseZedekiahking of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy, saying, 'Thussays the LORD, "Behold, I am about to givethiscity into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;
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and Zedekiahking of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye;
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and he will takeZedekiah to Babylon, and he will be thereuntil I visit him," declares the LORD. "If you fightagainst the Chaldeans, you will not succeed "'?"
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'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, "Buy for yourself my fieldwhich is at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it."'
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"Then Hanamel my uncle'ssoncame to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the LORD and said to me, 'Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
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and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle's son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, beforeall the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard.
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"And I commandedBaruch in their presence, saying,
r{mael ~,hyenye[.l .$.Wr'B ]t,a h/W;c]a'w
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'Thussays the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Takethesedeeds, thissealeddeed of purchase and thisopendeed, and put them in an earthenwarejar, that they may last a longtime."
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who showslovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their childrenafter them, O great and mightyGod. The LORD of hosts is His name;
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great in counsel and mighty in deed, whoseeyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;
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who has setsigns and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to thisday both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name for Yourself, as at thisday.
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'You brought Your peopleIsrael out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a stronghand and with an outstretchedarm and with greatterror;
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'They came in and tookpossession of it, but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have donenothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made allthiscalamitycome upon them.
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'Behold, the siegeramps have reached the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fightagainst it, because* of the sword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken has come to pass; and behold, You see it.
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'You have said to me, O LordGOD, "Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses "-although the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.' "
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Thereforethussays the LORD, "Behold, I am about to givethiscity into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, and he will take it.
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"The Chaldeans who are fightingagainstthiscity will enter and setthiscity on fire and burn it, with the houseswhere people have offeredincense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drinkofferings to othergods to provoke Me to anger.
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"Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doingonlyevil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been onlyprovoking Me to anger by the work of their hands," declares the LORD.
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"Indeedthiscity has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to thisday, so that it should be removed from before My face,
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because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judahwhich they have done to provoke Me to anger -they, their kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
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"They built the highplaces of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom* to cause their sons and their daughters to passthrough the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should dothisabomination, to cause Judah to sin.
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"Nowthereforethussays the LORDGod of Israelconcerningthiscity of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.'
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"Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in greatindignation; and I will bring them back to thisplace and make them dwell in safety.
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"I will make an everlastingcovenant with them that I will not turnaway from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turnaway from Me.
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'Men will buyfields for money, sign and sealdeeds, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hillcountry, in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the Negev; for I will restore their fortunes,' declares the LORD."