< Jeremiah 32 >

1 The word that was maad of the Lord to Jeremye, in the tenthe yeer of Sedechie, kyng of Juda; thilke is the eiytenthe yeer of Nabugodonosor.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
2 Thanne the oost of the kyng of Babiloyne bisegide Jerusalem; and Jeremye, the profete, was closid in the porche of the prisoun, that was in the hous of the kyng of Juda.
Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house.
3 For whi Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, hadde closid hym, and seide, Whi profesiest thou, seiynge, The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal yyue this citee in the hond of the kyng of Babyloyne, and he schal take it; and Sedechie,
For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, and say, ‘The LORD says, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it;
4 the kyng of Juda, schal not ascape fro the hond of Caldeis, but he schal be bitake in to the hond of the kyng of Babiloyne; and his mouth schal speke with the mouth of hym, and hise iyen schulen se the iyen of hym;
and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes will see his eyes;
5 and he schal lede Sedechie in to Babiloyne, and he schal be there, til Y visyte hym, seith the Lord; forsothe if ye fiyten ayens Caldeis, ye schulen haue no thing in prosperite?
and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” says the LORD, “though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not prosper”’?”
6 And Jeremye seide, The word of the Lord was maad to me, and seide, Lo!
Jeremiah said, “The LORD’s word came to me, saying,
7 Ananeel, the sone of Sellum, the sone of thi fadris brothir, schal come to thee, and seie, Bi thou to thee my feeld, which is in Anathot; for it bifallith to thee by niy kynrede, that thou bie it.
‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.”’”
8 And Ananeel, the sone of my fadris brothir, cam to me, bi the word of the Lord, to the porche of the prisoun, and seide to me, Welde thou my feeld, which is in Anathot, in the lond of Beniamyn; for whi the erytage bifallith to thee, and thou art the next of blood, that thou welde it. Forsothe Y vndirstood, that it was the word of the Lord.
“So Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the LORD’s word, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption is yours. Buy it for yourself.’ “Then I knew that this was the LORD’s word.
9 And Y bouyte the feeld, which is in Anathot, of Ananeel, the sone of my fadris brothir. And Y paiede to hym siluer, seuene stateris, and ten platis of siluer;
I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
10 and Y wroot in a book, and Y seelide, and Y yaf witnessis. And Y weiede siluer in a balaunce;
I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed the money in the balances to him.
11 and Y took the book aseelid of possessioun, and axingis and answerys of the seller and bier, and couenauntis, and seelis withoutforth.
So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open;
12 And Y yaf the book of possessioun to Baruc, the sone of Neri, sone of Maasie, bifore the iyen of Ananeel, the sone of my fadris brother, and bifore the iyen of witnessis that weren writun in the book of biyng, bifore the iyen of alle Jewis, that saten in the porche of the prisoun.
and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard.
13 And Y comaundide to Baruc bifore hem,
“I commanded Baruch before them, saying,
14 and Y seide, The Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Take thou these bookis, this seelid book of biyng, and this book which is opyn, and putte thou tho in an erthen vessel, that tho moun dwelle bi many daies.
the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.’
15 For whi the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Yit housis, and feeldis, and vynes schulen be weldid in this lond.
For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Houses and fields and vineyards will yet again be bought in this land.’
16 And Y preiede to the Lord, aftir that Y bitook the book of possessioun to Baruc, the sone of Nery; and Y seide, Alas!
Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying,
17 alas! alas! Lord God, Lord, thou madist heuene and erthe in thi greet strengthe, and in thin arm stretchid forth; ech word schal not be hard to thee;
“Ah Lord GOD! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you.
18 which doist merci in thousyndis, and yeldist the wickidnesse of fadris in to the bosum of her sones aftir hem. Thou strongeste, greet, myyti, Lord of oostis is name to thee;
You show loving kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The great, the mighty God, the LORD of Armies is your name:
19 greet in councel, and vncomprehensible in thouyt, whose iyen ben open on alle the weies of the sones of Adam, that thou yelde to ech aftir hise weies, and aftir the fruyt of hise fyndyngis;
great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings;
20 which settidist signes and greet woundris in the lond of Egipt, `til to this dai, bothe in Israel and in men; and madist to thee a name, as this dai is.
who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among other men; and made yourself a name, as it is today;
21 And thou leddist thi puple Israel out of the lond of Egipt, in signes and in greet woundris, and in a strong hond, and in an arm holdun forth, and in greet dreed; and thou yauest to hem this lond,
and brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, with wonders, with a strong hand, with an outstretched arm, and with great terror;
22 which thou sworist to the fadris of hem, that thou woldist yyue to hem, a lond flowynge with milk and hony.
and gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey.
23 And thei entriden, and hadden it in possessioun; and thei obeieden not to thi vois, and thei yeden not in thi lawe; alle thingis whiche thou comaundidist to hem to do, thei diden not; and alle these yuels bifellen to hem.
They came in and possessed it, but they did not obey your voice and did not walk in your law. They have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have caused all this evil to come upon them.
24 Lo! strengthis ben bildid ayens the citee, that it be takun, and the citee is youun in to the hondis of Caldeis, and in to the hondis of the kyng of Babiloyne, that fiyten ayens it, of the face of swerd, and of hungur, and of pestilence; and what euer thingis thou spakest, bifellen, as thou thi silf seest.
“Behold, siege ramps have been built against the city to take it. The city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, of the famine, and of the pestilence. What you have spoken has happened. Behold, you see it.
25 And Lord God, thou seist to me, Bie thou a feeld for siluer, and yyue thou witnessis, whanne the citee is youun in the hondis of Caldeis.
You have said to me, Lord GOD, ‘Buy the field for money, and call witnesses;’ whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
26 And the word of the Lord was maad to Jeremye, and seide, Lo!
Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
27 Y am the Lord God of `al fleisch. Whether ony word schal be hard to me?
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?
28 Therfor the Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal bitake this citee in to the hondis of Caldeis, and in to the hond of the kyng of Babiloyne, and he schal take it.
Therefore the LORD says: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it.
29 And Caldeis schulen come, and fiyte ayens this citee, and thei schulen brenne it with fier, and thei schulen brenne it, and housis, in whose rooues thei sacrifieden to Baal, and offriden moist sacrifices to alien goddis, to terre me to wraththe.
The Chaldeans, who fight against this city, will come and set this city on fire, and burn it with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
30 For whi the sones of Israel and the sones of Juda diden yuel contynueli, fro her yonge waxynge age, bifore myn iyen, the sones of Israel, whiche `til to now wraththen me bi the werk of her hondis, seith the Lord.
“For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says the LORD.
31 For whi this citee is maad to me in my strong veniaunce and indignacioun, fro the day in which thei bildiden it, `til to this dai, in which it schal be takun awei fro my siyt;
For this city has been to me a provocation of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even to this day, so that I should remove it from before my face,
32 for the malice of the sones of Israel, and of the sones of Juda, which thei diden, terrynge me to wrathfulnesse, thei, and the kyngis of hem, the princes of hem, and the prestis, and profetis of hem, the men of Juda, and the dwelleris of Jerusalem.
because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
33 And thei turneden to me the backis, and not the faces, whanne Y tauyte, and enformede hem erli; and thei nolden here, that thei schulden take techyng.
They have turned their backs to me, and not their faces. Although I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.
34 And thei settiden her idols in the hous, in which my name is clepid to help, that thei schulden defoule it.
But they set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.
35 And thei bildiden hiy thingis to Baal, that ben in the valei of the sones of Ennon, that thei schulden halewe her sones and her douytris to Moloc, which thing Y comaundide not to hem, nether it stiede in to myn herte, that thei schulden do this abhomynacioun, and brynge Juda in to synne.
They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through fire to Molech, which I did not command them. It did not even come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”
36 And now for these thingis, the Lord God of Israel seith these thingis to this citee, of whiche ye seien, that it schal be bitakun in to the hondis of the kyng of Babiloyne, in swerd, and in hungur, and in pestilence, Lo!
Now therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning this city, about which you say, “It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:”
37 Y schal gadere hem fro alle londis, to whiche Y castide hem out in my strong veniaunce, and in my wraththe, and in greet indignacioun; and Y schal brynge hem ayen to this place, and Y schal make hem to dwelle tristili.
“Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them again to this place. I will cause them to dwell safely.
38 And thei schulen be in to a puple to me, and Y schal be in to God to hem.
Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.
39 And Y schal yyue to hem oon herte and o soule, that thei drede me in alle daies, and that it be wel to hem, and to her sones aftir hem.
I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their good and the good of their children after them.
40 And Y schal smyte to hem a couenaunt euerlastynge, and Y schal not ceese to do wel to hem, and Y schal yyue my drede in the herte of hem, that thei go not awey fro me.
I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do them good. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.
41 And Y schal be glad on hem, whanne Y schal do wel to hem; and Y schal plaunte hem in this lond in treuthe, in al myn herte, and in al my soule.
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.”
42 For the Lord seith these thingis, As Y brouyte on this puple al this greet yuel, so Y schal brynge on hem al the good, which Y schal speke to hem.
For the LORD says: “Just as I have brought all this great evil on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.
43 And feeldis schulen be weldid in this lond, of which ye seien, that it is desert, for no man and beeste is left; and it is youun in to the hondis of Caldeis.
Fields will be bought in this land, about which you say, ‘It is desolate, without man or animal. It is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’
44 Feeldis schulen be bouyt for money, and schulen be writun in a book, and a seel schal be preentid; and witnessis schulen be youun, in the lond of Beniamyn, and in the cumpas of Jerusalem, and in the citees of Juda, and in the citees in hilli places, and in the citees in feeldi places, and in the citees that ben at the south; for Y schal turne the caitiftee of hem, seith the Lord.
Men will buy fields for money, sign the deeds, seal them, and call witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captivity to be reversed,” says the LORD.

< Jeremiah 32 >