15. The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has said that houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”
16. After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch, I prayed,
17. “Sovereign Lord, you made the earth and the sky by your great power and might; nothing is too difficult for you.
18. You have shown constant love to thousands, but you also punish people for the sins of their parents. You are a great and powerful God; you are the Lord Almighty.
19. You make wise plans and do mighty things; you see everything that people do, and you reward them according to their actions.
20. Long ago, you performed miracles and wonders in Egypt, and you have continued to perform them to this day, both in Israel and among all the other nations, so that you are now known everywhere.
21. By means of miracles and wonders that terrified our enemies, you used your power and might to bring your people Israel out of Egypt.
22. You gave them this rich and fertile land, as you had promised their ancestors.
23. But when they came into this land and took possession of it, they did not obey your commands or live according to your teaching; they did nothing that you had ordered them to do. And so you brought all this destruction on them.
24. “The Babylonians have built siege mounds round the city to capture it, and they are attacking. War, starvation, and disease will make the city fall into their hands. You can see that all you have said has come true.
25. Yet, Sovereign Lord, you are the one who ordered me to buy the field in the presence of witnesses, even though the city is about to be captured by the Babylonians.”
26. Then the Lord said to me,
27. “I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race. Nothing is too difficult for me.
28. I am going to give this city over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army; they will capture it
29. and set it on fire. They will burn it down, together with the houses where people have made me angry by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out wine offerings to other gods.
30. From the very beginning of their history the people of Israel and the people of Judah have displeased me and made me angry by what they have done.
31. The people of this city have made me angry and furious from the day it was built. I have decided to destroy it
32. because of all the evil that has been done by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, together with their kings and leaders, their priests and prophets.