Jeremiah Buy Land

Outside di walls, enemy army don camp. Smoke dey rise from dem fire. Inside di city, people dey hungry and dem dey fear. And inside one prison compound, one man dey count silver coins, to buy one piece of land wey di enemy don already hold.

Na di tenth year of King Zedekiah, around five hundred and eighty-seven years before Christ. Di army of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, don surround Jerusalem. Di siege don last for months. For many years di prophet Jeremiah don dey warn say Jerusalem go fall to Babylon if di people no turn back to God. King Zedekiah no wan hear am. So dem lock Jeremiah for di compound of di guards, for di king palace. Everybody know how dis matter go end. Land around Jerusalem no get value again. Who go buy property for country wey enemy wan conquer?

Then di word of Di Lord come meet Jeremiah. Your cousin Hanamel dey come see you, God talk. E go ask you make you buy im land for Anathoth, because na you get di right to buy am and keep am inside di family. Anathoth na Jeremiah own village, only few miles north of Jerusalem, for where di Babylonian soldiers dey. And true true, Hanamel show for di prison compound, just as God talk. Abeg, buy my land wey dey Anathoth. Na you get di right to redeem am, e talk. Buy am for yourself. And Jeremiah talk: na then I know say na di word of Di Lord be dis.

So Jeremiah do something wey for look like foolishness. E buy di land. E weigh di money for scale: seventeen shekels of silver. E sign di paper of di purchase and e seal am. Witnesses watch and dem sign too. Everything dey done well, according to di law and di custom. Di paper get two copies: one dem seal close, and one dem leave open, so anybody fit read am. Then Jeremiah give both copies to im friend and helper Baruch, son of Neriah. All of dis happen for di front of Hanamel, di witnesses, and di Jews wey dey sit down for di compound of di guards. Dem dey watch one man wey dey buy land for where war dey.

Then Jeremiah give Baruch instruction, for everybody front. Na wetin Di Lord of hosts, di God of Israel, talk be dis. Take dese papers, di one wey dem seal and di one wey dey open, and put dem inside clay pot, so dat dem go last long time. And then e explain why e do dis strange thing. Because na so Di Lord of hosts, di God of Israel, talk: People go still get houses and lands and vineyards for dis land again. Di city go fall. Jeremiah never pretend say e no go happen. But e no go be di end. One day people go buy and sell land here again. Dem go plant vineyards, build houses, and live for peace. Jeremiah put im money where im faith dey. Di silver na promise: God people get future.

To keep scrolls inside clay pot really make dem last. For nineteen forty-seven, near di Dead Sea, one shepherd find caves wey get old old clay pots. Inside some of dem, scrolls dey wey pass two thousand years, including di oldest copies wey we know of di books of di Hebrew Bible, and di whole book of Isaiah dey among dem. We dey call dem di Dead Sea Scrolls. For di dry desert air, di clay pots keep dem safe for hundreds of years.

You go find dis story for Jeremiah chapter thirty-two, verse one reach fifteen. Prophet wey buy land when di enemy dey for gate, because e believe God promise. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin you fit do today wey go show say you trust God for tomorrow?