Jeremiah 36
1 When Jehoiakim had been the king of Judah for almost four years, Yahweh gave this message to me:
And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoyakim the son of Josiah the king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 “Get a scroll, and write on it the messages that I have given to you regarding Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Write all of the messages, starting from the time that I gave you the first message, when Josiah was the king, up until now.
Take thee a roll-book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spoke unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even until this day.
3 When the people of Judah hear [again] about all the disasters that I plan to cause them to experience, perhaps each one of them will repent. If they do that, I will be able to forgive them for the wrong/evil things that they have done.”
Peradventure it be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them: in order that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
4 [So] I summoned Baruch, the son of Neraiah. Then, as I dictated to him all the messages that Yahweh had spoken to me, he wrote them on a scroll.
Then did Jeremiah call Baruch the son of Neriyah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll-book.
5 Then I said to him, “I am not allowed to [leave here and] go to the temple.
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I am not able to enter into the house of the Lord:
6 So, you go [to the temple] on the [next] day when the people are (fasting/abstaining from food), and read to them the messages from Yahweh that you wrote while I dictated them to you. Read them [aloud] to all the people [who are there, including] the people of Judah who come [there] from their towns.
Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the Lord before the ears of the people in the house of the Lord on the fast-day; and also before the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities shalt thou read them.
7 Perhaps they will turn from their evil behavior and request Yahweh [to act mercifully toward them]. [They must do that, ] because Yahweh is very angry with them and has threatened to punish them severely.”
Perhaps it may be that they will humbly present their supplication before the Lord, and will return every one from his evil way; for great are the anger and the fury that the Lord hath decreed against this people.
8 Baruch did what I told him to do. He [went to the temple and] read [to the people] all those messages from Yahweh.
And Baruch the son of Neriyah did in accordance with all that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him, to read in the book the words of the Lord in the house of the Lord.
9 He did it in December on a day when their leaders had proclaimed that all the people in Jerusalem and the people who had come there from [other] towns in Judah should fast to [please/honor] Yahweh. [It was when] Jehoiakim had been king for almost five years.
And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoyakim the son of Josiah the king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord for all the people in Jerusalem, and for all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
10 Baruch read to all the people the messages [that he had written] on the scroll. [He read them while he was] in the temple, in the room where Gemariah stayed. He was the son of Shaphan, [who had previously been the king’s] secretary. That room was close to the upper courtyard [of the temple], near the entrance to the temple that is [called] the New Gate.
And Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemaryahu the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entrance of the new gate of the Lord's house, before the ears of all the people.
11 When Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and grandson of Shaphan, heard those messages from Yahweh,
And when Michayhu the son of Gemaryahu, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord out of the book:
12 he went down to the secretary’s room in the palace, where all the king’s officials were meeting. Elishama the [king’s] secretary [was there]. Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Acbor, Gemariah, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the [other] officials [of the king were also there].
He went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber; and, lo, all the princes were sitting there, even Elishama' the scribe, and Delayahu the son of Shema'yahu, and Elnathan the son of 'Achbor, and Gemaryahu the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Chananyahu, and all the princes.
13 When Micaiah told them about the messages that Baruch had been reading to the people,
And Michayhu told unto them all the words which he had heard, when Baruch read in the book before the ears of the people.
14 the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Shelemiah and great-grandson of Cushi, to tell Baruch to come [and read the messages to them, also]. So Baruch took the scroll and went to them.
Thereupon sent all the princes Jehudi the son of Nethanyahu, the son of Shelemyahu, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, The roll wherein thou hast read before the ears of the people, —this take in thy hand, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriyahu took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.
15 They said to him, “Please sit down and read it [to us].” So Baruch did what they requested.
And they said unto him, Sit down, we pray thee, and read it before our ears. So Baruch read it before their ears.
16 After they had heard all the messages, they were afraid. They looked at each other and [then] they said, “We must tell these messages to the king!”
Now it came to pass, when they heard all the words, they looked terrified at each other, and they said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.
17 Then they asked Baruch, “How did you get this scroll? Did Jeremiah dictate to you all the messages on this scroll?”
And they asked Baruch, saying, Do tell us, How didst thou write down all these words from his mouth?
18 Baruch replied, “[Yes], Jeremiah dictated them to me, and I wrote them with ink on this scroll.”
Then said Baruch unto them, With his mouth did he utter clearly all these words unto me, and I wrote them in the book with ink.
19 Then the officials told Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must both hide. Do not tell anyone where you are!”
Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thyself, thou with Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye are.
20 They put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the king’s secretary. Then they went to the king, who was in the courtyard, and reported to him everything [that Baruch had read to them].
And they went in to the king into the court, but the roll they had put in safe keeping in the chamber of Elishama' the scribe; and they told before the ears of the king all the words.
21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama’s room and read it to the king, while all the [king’s] officials were standing there.
But the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama' the scribe. And Jehudi read it before the ears of the king, and before the ears of all the princes who stood around the king.
22 It was in the cold season, and the king was in a part of the palace where he stayed when it was cold. He was sitting in front of a fire [to keep/be warm].
Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month: and a pan of coals was burning before him.
23 Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king cut off that section of the scroll with a knife and threw it into the fire. He did that, section by section, until the entire scroll was burned up.
And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four pages, that he cut it with the writer's knife, and cast it into the fire that was in the coal-pan, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the coal-pan.
24 Neither the king nor his officials showed that they were afraid [that God would punish them]. They did not tear their clothes [to show that they were sorry for what they had done].
Yet they were not terrified, nor did they rend their garments, either the king, or any of his servants that had heard all these words.
25 Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not pay any attention.
And although Elnathan and Delayahu and Gemaryahu had also made intercession with the king that he might not burn the roll, he would not listen to them.
26 Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and me. But [they were unable to do that because] Yahweh had hidden us.
And the king commanded Yerachmeel the son of the king, and Serayahu the son of 'Azriel, and Shelemyahu the son of 'Abdeel, to seize on Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but the Lord hid them.
27 After the king had burned the scroll on which were written the messages that I had dictated to Baruch, Yahweh said this to me:
Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, after the king had burnt the roll, and the words which Baruch had written down from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28 “Get another scroll, and [tell Baruch to] write everything again, the same messages that he had written on the scroll that the king burned.
Take thee again another roll, and write on it all the former words that have been on the first roll, which Jehoyakim the king of Judah hath burnt.
29 [Then go to] the king and say to him, ‘Yahweh says this: “You burned the scroll [because you did not like] what was written on it, that the king of Babylon would surely [RHQ] come [with his army] and destroy this land and get rid of all the people and the animals.
And concerning Jehoyakim the king of Judah shalt thou say, Thus hath said the Lord, Thou hast indeed burnt this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease therefrom man and beast!
30 Now this is what [I], Yahweh, say about [you], Jehoiakim: 'None of your descendants will rule this kingdom [MTY]. Your corpse will be thrown out [on the ground and not be buried]; it will be under the hot [sun] during the days and [struck by] frost during the nights.
Therefore thus hath said the Lord concerning Jehoyakim the king of Judah, He shall have no one to sit upon the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat in the day, and to the cold in the night.
31 I will punish you and your family and your officials for their sins. And I will cause the people of Jerusalem and the people of the [other] towns in Judah to experience all the disasters that I promised, because you all would not pay attention [to what I said]!'” '”
And I will visit on him and on his seed and on his servants their iniquity; and I will bring over them, and over the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and against the men of Judah, all the evil that I have spoken against them, while they did not hearken.
32 So I took another scroll, and again I dictated the messages to Baruch. He wrote everything that had been written on the [other] scroll, the one that King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. [But this time, I] added more messages.
And Jeremiah took another roll, and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriyahu the scribe; who wrote thereon from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoyakim the king of Judah had burnt in the fire: and there were yet added unto them many words like them.
