Jeremiah 26
1 This message came from the Lord at the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah king of Judah,
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word from Jehovah, saying: —
2 This is what the Lord says: Go and stand in the Temple courtyard and deliver the whole message I have ordered you to give to everyone who comes from all the towns of Judah to worship there. Don't leave out a single word.
Thus saith Jehovah: Stand in the court of the house of Jehovah, and speak to those who come from all the cities of Judah to worship in the house of Jehovah all the words which I have commanded thee to speak to them; abate not a word.
3 Maybe they'll they will listen, and each of them will give up their evil ways so that I won't have to carry out the disaster I'm planning to bring down on them because of the evil things they do.
If peradventure they will hearken and turn every one from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do to them because of their evil doings.
4 Tell them that this is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have given you,
And thou shalt say to them, Thus saith Jehovah: If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law which I have set before you,
5 and if you don't listen to the messages of my servants the prophets—I've sent them to you time and again, but you refused to listen—
to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent to you, rising early and sending, and ye have not hearkened,
6 then I will destroy this Temple like I did Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse word used by everyone on earth.
then will I make this house like Shiloh, and this city will I make a curse to all the nations of the earth.
7 The priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah deliver this message in the Lord's Temple.
And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah.
8 As soon as he had finished telling everyone all that the Lord had ordered him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people grabbed him, shouting, “You'll die for this!
And when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, and said, Thou shalt surely die!
9 How dare you claim to speak in the Lord's name here in the Temple and declare that it will be destroyed like Shiloh, and that this city will be left empty and abandoned?” Everyone crowded around Jeremiah threatening him in the Lord's Temple.
Why dost thou prophesy in the name of Jehovah, and say, This house shall be as Shiloh, and this city shall be made desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were assembled together against Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah.
10 When the leaders of Judah heard what happened they came from the king's palace to the Lord's Temple and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the Temple to judge the case.
When the princes of Judah heard these things, they went up from the king's house to the house of Jehovah, and sat in the entrance of the new gate of the house of Jehovah.
11 The priests and prophets complained to the leaders and all the people, “This man is deserves the death penalty because he has committed treason by prophesying against this city. You heard it yourselves!”
Then spake the priests and the prophets to the princes and to all the people, saying: This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
12 Jeremiah addressed all the leaders and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to deliver every word of this prophecy against this Temple as you've heard.
Then spake Jeremiah to all the princes and to all the people, saying: Jehovah hath sent me to prophesy against this house, and against this city, all the words which ye have heard.
13 So change your ways and do what's right, and do what Lord your God tells you, so that he won't have to carry out the disaster he has announced he will bring down on you.
But now amend ye your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Jehovah, your God, and Jehovah will repent of the evil which he hath pronounced against you.
14 As far as I'm concerned, I'm in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right.
And as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do to me as it seemeth good and right in your eyes.
15 But be careful, because you need to be aware that if you kill me, you will make yourselves, this city, and everyone who lives here guilty of murder, because it's true that the Lord sent me to tell you everything he said.”
But know ye for certain that, if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and its inhabitants; for of a truth Jehovah hath sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.
16 Then the leaders and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man doesn't deserve the death penalty because he was speaking on behalf of the Lord our God.”
Then said the princes and all the people to the priests and the prophets: This man is not worthy to die, for he hath spoken to us in the name of Jehovah, our God.
17 Some of the country's elders stood up and addressed everyone gathered there.
Certain elders of the land also rose up, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying:
18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah that this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Zion will become like a plowed field; Jerusalem will end up a pile of rubble; and the Temple mount will be overgrown with trees.’
Micah, the Morasthite, prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps of stones, and the mountain of the house [[of Jehovah]] as the heights of a forest.
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in the country have him killed? Didn't Hezekiah respect the Lord and plead with him? Didn't the Lord change his mind about the disaster he had announced against them? But we are about to bring a great disaster on ourselves!”
Did Hezekiah, king of Judah, and all Judah, put him to death? Did he not fear Jehovah, and beseech Jehovah, so that Jehovah repented of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Shall we then bring so great an evil upon ourselves?
20 At around that time there was another man prophesying in the name of the Lord, Uriah, son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against Jerusalem and against the country just as Jeremiah did.
There was also another man that prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Urijah, the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah;
21 King Jehoiakim and all his military officers and officials heard what he was saying, and the king wanted to have him executed. But when Uriah found out about it, he was frightened and ran away to Egypt.
and when Jehoiakim the king, and all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled and went into Egypt.
22 But King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan, son of Achbor, along with some others.
But Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt,
23 They brought Uriah back from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim. The king killed him with a sword and had his body thrown into the public graveyard.
and they brought Urijah out of Egypt, and carried him to King Jehoiakim, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
24 However, Ahikam, son of Shaphan, took Jeremiah's side so he was not handed over to the people to be killed.
Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah, that he should not be delivered into the hand of the people, to be put to death.
