27 Just then ⁱhis disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man ^jwho told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ^k“Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, ^l“Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, ^m“My food is ⁿto do the will of him who sent me and ^oto accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that ^pthe fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that ^qsower and ^rreaper ^smay rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ^t‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap ^uthat for which you did not labor. Others have labored, ^vand you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans ^wfrom that town believed in him ^xbecause of ^ythe woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed ^zbecause of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, ^aand we know that this is indeed ^bthe Savior ^cof the world.”

Greeting

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of ^athe Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to ^bthe foreknowledge of God the Father, ^cin the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and ^dfor sprinkling with his blood:

May ^egrace and ^fpeace be multiplied to you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

3 ^gBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! ^hAccording to his great mercy, ⁱhe has caused us to be born again to a living hope ^jthrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to ^kan inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and ^lunfading, ^mkept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded ⁿthrough faith for a salvation ^oready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by ^pvarious trials, 7 so that ^qthe tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes ^rthough it is tested by ^sfire—may be found to result in ^tpraise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 ^uThough you have not seen him, you love him. ^vThough you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining ^wthe outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were ^lan error proceeding from the ruler: 6 ^mfolly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 ⁿI have seen slaves ^oon horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

Jeremiah Buys a Field During the Siege

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord ⁿin the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, ^owhich was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet ^pwas shut up in ^qthe court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^rBehold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it; 4 ^sZedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, ^rbut shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. 5 And ^the shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, declares the Lord. ^uThough you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed’?”

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, ^v‘Buy my field that is at ^wAnathoth, ^xfor the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ 8 Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in ^qthe court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at ^wAnathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

9 “And I bought the field at ^wAnathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and ^yweighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10 ^zI signed the deed, ^asealed it, ^bgot witnesses, and ^yweighed the money on scales. 11 Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions and the open copy. 12 And I gave the deed of purchase to ^cBaruch the son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my cousin, in the presence of ^dthe witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in ^qthe court of the guard. 13 I charged ^cBaruch in their presence, saying, 14 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time. 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and ^efields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’

Jeremiah Prays for Understanding

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to ^fBaruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is ^gyou who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by ^hyour outstretched arm! ⁱNothing is too hard for you. 18 ^jYou show steadfast love to thousands, ^jbut you repay the guilt of fathers ^kto their children after them, O great and ^lmighty God, whose name is the ^mLord of hosts, 19 ⁿgreat in counsel and ^omighty in deed, ^pwhose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, ^qrewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds. 20 You have shown ^rsigns and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, ^sand have made a name for yourself, as at this day. 21 ^tYou brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and ^uoutstretched arm, ^tand with great terror. 22 And you gave them this land, ^vwhich you swore to their fathers to give them, ^va land flowing with milk and honey. 23 And they entered and took possession of it. ^wBut they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them. 24 Behold, ^xthe siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and ^ybecause of sword and famine and pestilence ^zthe city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. 25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, ^a“Buy the field for money ^band get witnesses”—though ^zthe city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’”

26 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “Behold, I am the Lord, ^cthe God of all flesh. ^dIs anything too hard for me? 28 Therefore, thus says the Lord: ^eBehold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. 29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city ^fshall come and set this city on fire and burn it, ^gwith the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal ^gand drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, ^hto provoke me to anger. 30 For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight ⁱfrom their youth. The children of Israel have done nothing but ^hprovoke me to anger ^jby the work of their hands, declares the Lord. 31 This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, ^kso that I will remove it from my sight 32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—^ltheir kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 ^mThey have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them ⁿpersistently, they have not listened ^oto receive instruction. 34 They set up ^ptheir abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35 They built the high places of Baal ^qin the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, ^rto offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, ^sthough I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do ^pthis abomination, ^tto cause Judah to sin.

They Shall Be My People; I Will Be Their God

36 “Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ^u‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence’: 37 ^vBehold, I will gather them from all the countries ^wto which I drove them in ^xmy anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, ^yand I will make them dwell in safety. 38 ^zAnd they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39 ^aI will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, ^bfor their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 ^cI will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. ^dAnd I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. 41 ^eI will rejoice in doing them good, ^fand I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

42 “For thus says the Lord: ^gJust as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. 43 ^hFields shall be bought in this land ⁱof which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; ^jit is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ 44 Fields shall be bought for money, and ^kdeeds shall be signed and ^ksealed and ^kwitnessed, ^lin the land of Benjamin, ^lin the places about Jerusalem, ^land in the cities of Judah, ^lin the cities of the hill country, ^lin the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for ^mI will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”

The Lord Promises Peace

1 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still ⁿshut up in the court of the guard: 2 “Thus says ^othe Lord who made the earth,¹ the Lord who formed it to establish it—^pthe Lord is his name: 3 ^qCall to me and I will answer you, ^rand will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 4 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against ^sthe siege mounds and against the sword: 5 They are coming in ^tto fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them² with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down ^uin my anger and my wrath, ^vfor I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. 6 ^wBehold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7 ^xI will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, ^yand rebuild them as they were ^zat first. 8 ^aI will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, ^band I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. 9 ^cAnd this city³ shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall ^dfear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

10 “Thus says the Lord: In this place ^eof which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11 ^fthe voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring ^gthank offerings to the house of the Lord:

^xFor I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.

12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ⁱIn this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be ^jhabitations of shepherds ^kresting their flocks. 13 ^lIn the cities of the hill country, ^lin the cities of the Shephelah, ^land in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, ^lthe places about Jerusalem, ^land in the cities of Judah, ^mflocks shall again pass under the hands ⁿof the one who counts them, says the Lord.

The Lord’s Eternal Covenant with David

14 ^o“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when ^pI will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous ^qBranch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, ^rand Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ^s‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

17 “For thus says the Lord: ^tDavid shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 ^uand the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.”

19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 ^v“Thus says the Lord: ^wIf you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, ^xso that day and night will not come at their appointed time, 21 ^ythen also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. 22 As ^zthe host of heaven cannot be numbered and ^zthe sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.”

23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. 25 Thus says the Lord: ^aIf I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ^bFor I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when ^cNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army ^dand all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to ^eZedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^fBehold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 ^gYou shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. ^gYou shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ 4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! ^hThus says the Lord concerning you: ^h‘You shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace. ⁱAnd as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall ^jburn spices for you ^kand lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.”

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, ^lLachish and ^mAzekah, ⁿfor these were the only ^ofortified cities of Judah that remained.