Jeremiah 36
1 It came about in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, and he said,
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 “Take a scroll for yourself and write on it all the words that I have told you concerning Israel and Judah, and every nation. Do this for everything I have told from the days of Josiah until this very day.
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 Perhaps the people of Judah will listen to all the disasters that I intend to bring on them. Perhaps everyone will turn away from his wicked way, so I can forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
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 Then Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote in a scroll, at Jeremiah's dictation, all the words of Yahweh spoken to him.
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 Next Jeremiah gave a command to Baruch. He said, “I am in prison and cannot go to Yahweh's house.
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I am not able to enter into the house of the Lord:
6 So you must go and read from the scroll that you wrote at my dictation. On the day of the fast, you must read Yahweh's words in the hearing of the people in his house, and also in the hearing of all of Judah who have come from their cities. Proclaim these words to them.
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 their pleas for mercy will come before Yahweh. Perhaps each person will turn from his wicked way, since the wrath and fury that Yahweh has proclaimed against this people are severe.”
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 So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him to do. He read aloud the words of Yahweh in the house of 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 It came about in the fifth year and ninth month of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, that all the people in Jerusalem and the people who came to Jerusalem from the cities of Judah proclaimed a fast before Yahweh.
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 aloud Jeremiah's words in the house of Yahweh, from the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper courtyard, by the gate of the entrance to the house of Yahweh. He did this in the hearing of all the people.
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 Now Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all of Yahweh's words in the scroll.
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 house of the king, to the secretary's room. Look, all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials.
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 Then Micaiah reported to them all the words that he had heard that Baruch read aloud in the hearing of 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 So all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, to Baruch. Jehudi said to Baruch, “Take the scroll in your hand, the scroll from which you were reading in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to the officials.
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 Then they said to him, “Sit down and read this in our hearing.” So Baruch read the scroll.
And they said unto him, Sit down, we pray thee, and read it before our ears. So Baruch read it before their ears.
16 It happened that when they heard all these words, each man turned in fear to the one next to him and said to Baruch, “We must certainly report all of these words 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, “Tell us, how did you come to write all these words at Jeremiah's dictation?”
And they asked Baruch, saying, Do tell us, How didst thou write down all these words from his mouth?
18 Baruch said to them, “He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in 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 said to Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, and Jeremiah, too. Do not let anyone know where you are.”
Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thyself, thou with Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye are.
20 So they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, and they went to the king in the courtyard and they reported everything in the hearing of the king.
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 took it from the room of Elishama the secretary. Then he read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing beside him.
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 Now the king was staying in the winter house in the ninth month, and a brazier was burning in front of him.
Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month: and a pan of coals was burning before him.
23 It happened that as Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut it off with a knife and throw it into the fire in the brazier until all of the scroll was destroyed.
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 But neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were frightened, nor did they tear their clothes.
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 had even urged the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not listen to them.
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 Jerahmeel, a relative, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh had hidden them.
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 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, saying,
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 “Go back, take another scroll for yourself, and write in it all the words that were on the original scroll, the one that Jehoiakim king of Judah 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 you must say this to Jehoiakim king of Judah: 'You burned that scroll, saying, “Why have you written on it, 'The king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, for he will destroy both man and beast in it'?”'”
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 Therefore Yahweh says this concerning you, Jehoiakim king of Judah: “No descendant of yours will ever sit on the throne of David. As for you, your corpse will be thrown out into the heat of day and the frost of night.
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 For I will punish you, your descendants, and your servants for the iniquity of you all. I will bring on you, on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on every person in Judah all the disasters with which I have threatened you with, but to which you paid no attention.”
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 Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe. Baruch wrote on it at Jeremiah's dictation all the words that had been in the scroll burned by Jehoiakim king of Judah. Furthermore, many other similar words were added to this scroll.
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.
