Jeremias 43

1 IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF JOAKIM son of Josias king of Juda, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

[So] I finished telling to the people that message from Yahweh our God.

2 Take you a roll of a book, and write upon it all the words which I spoke to you against Jerusalem, and against Juda, and against all the nations, from the day when I spoke to you, from the days of Josias king of Juda, even to this day.

But then Johanan and Azariah and some other insolent/arrogant men said to me, “You are lying! Yahweh our God has not told [us] that we should not go to Egypt!

3 Perhaps the house of Juda will hear all the evils which I purpose to do to them; that they may turn from their evil way; and [so] I will be merciful to their iniquities and their sins.

[We think that] Baruch has urged/persuaded you to say this, in order that [if we stay here], the soldiers from Babylonia will seize us and kill us or take us to Babylonia.”

4 So Jeremias called Baruch the son of Nerias: and he wrote from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken to him, on a roll of a book.

So Johanan and the other leaders of the [Israeli] soldiers and [many of] [HYP] the other people [who were there] refused to obey Yahweh’s command to stay in Judah.

5 And Jeremias commanded Baruch, saying, I am in prison; I can’t enter into the house of the Lord:

Johanan and all the [other] leaders gathered together all the people who had returned from the other countries to which they had been scattered.

6 so you shall read in this roll in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord, on the fast day; and in the ears of all Juda that come out of their cities, you shall read to them.

[They included] men, women, children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan had left with Gedaliah, and they also took Baruch and me.

7 Peradventure their supplication will come before the Lord, and they will turn from their evil way: for great is the wrath and the anger of the Lord, which he has pronounced against this people.

They refused to obey Yahweh, and they took us all [to Egypt], as far as Tahpenes [city].

8 And Baruch did according to all that Jeremias commanded him—reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.

[While we were] at Tahpenes, Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

9 And it came to pass in the eighth year of king Joakim, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem, and the house of Juda, proclaimed a fast before the Lord.

“While the people of Judah are watching you, take some large rocks and bury them under the brick pavement at the entrance to the king’s palace there at Tahpenes.

10 And Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremias in the house of the Lord, in the house of Gamarias son of Saphan the scribe, in the upper court, in the entrance of the new gate of the house of the Lord, and in the ears of all the people.

Then say to the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], says: “I will summon Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, who does my work, to come [with his army] to Egypt. I will set up his throne over these stones that I told Jeremiah to bury. And Nebuchadnezzar will set up his tent there [to show that he has become] the King [of Egypt].

11 And Michaeas the son of Gamarias the son of Saphan heard all the words of the Lord, out of the book.

When his [army] comes, they will attack Egypt. Then those will die who [I have determined] must die, those who [I have determined] must be captured will be captured, and those who [I have determined] must be killed by swords will be killed by swords.

12 And he went down to the king's house, into the house of the scribe: and, behold, there were sitting there all the princes, Elisama the scribe, and Dalaeas the son of Selemias, and Jonathan the son of Acchobor, and Gamarias the son of Saphan, and Sedekias the son of Ananias, and all the princes.

Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt. [But before they burn the temples], they will take away their idols [as souvenirs]. His [troops] will clean Egypt like a shepherd cleans lice from his cloak. They will tear down the sacred pillars that are in the temple of their sun god. And then Nebuchadnezzar’s [troops] will leave there, without having been harmed.”’”

13 And Michaeas reported to them all the words which he had heard Baruch reading in the ears of the people.

14 And all the princes sent to Baruch son of Nerias Judin the son of Nathanias, the son of Selemias, the son of Chusi, saying, Take in your hand the roll in which you read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch took the roll, and went down to them.

15 And they said to him, Read [it] again in our ears. And Baruch read [it].

16 And it came to pass, when they [had] heard all the words, [that] they took counsel each with his neighbour, and said, Let us by all means tell the king all these words.

17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Where did you write all these words?

18 And Baruch said, Jeremias told me from his [own] mouth all these words, and I wrote them in a book.

19 And they said to Baruch, Go, and hide, you and Jeremias; let no man know where you [are].

20 And they went in to the king into the court, and gave the roll [to one] to keep in the house of Elisama; and they told the king all these words.

21 And the king sent Judin to fetch the roll: and he took it out of the house of Elisama: and Judin read in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood round the king.

22 Now the king was sitting in the winter house: and [there was] a fire on the hearth before him.

23 And it came to pass when Judin had read three or four leaves, he cut them off with a penknife, and cast [them] into the fire that was on the hearth, until the whole roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

24 And the king and his servants that heard all these words sought not [the Lord], and tore not their garments.

25 But Elnathan and Godolias suggested to the king that he should burn the roll.

26 And the king commanded Jeremeel the king's son, and Saraeas the son of Esriel, to take Baruch and Jeremias: but they were hidden.

27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, after the king had burnt the roll, [even] all the words which Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremias, saying,

28 Again take you another roll, and write all the words that were on the roll, which king Joakim has burnt.

29 And you shall say, Thus says the Lord; You have burnt this roll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come in, and destroy this land, and man and cattle shall fail from off it?

30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Joakim king of Juda; He shall not have [a man] to sit on the throne of David: and his carcass shall be cast forth in the heat by day, and in the frost by night.

31 And I will visit him, and his family, and his servants: and I will bring upon him, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the land of Juda, all the evils which I spoke of to them; and they listened not.

32 And Baruch took another roll, and wrote upon it from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the book which Joakim had burnt: and there were yet more words added to it like the former.