h's imprisonment to Sedekiah instead of
to the princes, and even seems to confound Sedekiah with Jehoiachin; and
_second_ that the story itself, of a transaction between Jeremiah and his
cousin regarding some family property, is genuine, dictated by the Prophet
to Baruch before or after the end of the siege. Some reject as later all
the rest of the chapter: a long prayer by Jeremiah and the Lord's answer
to it, both of which are full of deuteronomic phrases. Yet that an editor
should have made so large an addition to the book without genuine material
to work from is hardly credible; while it is characteristic of Jeremiah to
have fallen into the doubt his prayer reveals, and this doubt would
naturally be followed by a Divine answer. But such original elements it is
not possible to discriminate exactly from the expansions by which they
have been overlaid.(604)

XXXII. 6. And Jeremiah said, The Word of the Lord came to me
saying, [7] Behold, Hanamel son of Shallum thine uncle is coming
to thee to say, Buy thee my field in Anathoth, for thine is the
right of redemption to buy it. 8. And Hanamel son of my uncle came
to me in the guard-court and said, Buy my field that is Anathoth,
for the right of inheritance is thine and thine the redemption;
buy it for thyself. Then I knew that it was the Lord's Word. 9. So
I bought the field from Hanamel mine uncle's son and weighed to
him seventeen silver shekels. 10. And I subscribed the deed and
sealed it and took witnesses, weighing the money in the balances.
11. And I took the deed of sale, both that which was sealed and
that which was open,(605) [12] and I gave it to Baruch son of
Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel mine uncle's son,
and in sight of the Jews sitting in the guard-court. 13. And in
their sight I charged Baruch, saying, [14] Thus saith the Lord of
Hosts: Take this deed of sale which is sealed, and this deed which
is open, and put them in an earthen vessel that they may last many
days. 15. For thus saith the Lord, Houses and fields and vineyards
shall yet again be bought in this land. 16. Now after I had given
the deed of sale to Baruch, Neriah's son, I prayed to the Lord
saying, Ah Lord ... (?) [24] behold the mounts; they are come to
the city to take it, and the city shall be given into the hands of
the Chaldeans who are fighting against it, because of the sword