Jeremiah 36

Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Temple

1In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

1And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying:

2“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.

2“Take for yourself a scroll of a book, and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day.

3Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them, each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

3Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I am planning to bring upon them, so that each man might turn back from his evil way; and I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.

4So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and at the dictation of Jeremiah, Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words that the LORD had spoken to Jeremiah.

4And Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of YHWH that He had spoken to him on a scroll of a book.

5Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot enter the house of the LORD;

5And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: “I am restrained; I am not able to enter the house of YHWH.

6so you are to go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting, and in the hearing of the people you are to read the words of the LORD from the scroll you have written at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of all the people of Judah who are coming from their cities.

6And you are to go and call out from the scroll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of YHWH into the ears of the people in the house of YHWH, on the day of fasting. And also you shall read them into the ears of all Judah who are coming from their cities.

7Perhaps they will bring their petition before the LORD, and each one will turn from his wicked way; for great are the anger and fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people.”

7Perhaps their plea for mercy will fall before YHWH, and each man will turn back from his evil way—for great is the anger and the fury with which YHWH has spoken against this people!

8So Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him. In the house of the LORD he read the words of the LORD from the scroll.

8And Baruch son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him, calling out from the book of the words of YHWH in the house of YHWH.

9Now in the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before the LORD was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who had come there from the cities of Judah.

9And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they called a fast before YHWH to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.

10From the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people.

10And Baruch called out from the book of the words of Jeremiah in the house of YHWH, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of YHWH, into the ears of all the people.

Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Palace

11When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,

11And Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all the words of YHWH from the book,

12he went down to the scribe’s chamber in the king’s palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.

12and he went down to the house of the king, into the chamber of the scribe, and there all the princes were sitting—Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan son of Achbor, and Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

13And Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.

13And Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the book into the ears of the people.

14Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come here.”

So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them.

14And all the princes sent to Baruch Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, saying: “The scroll, which you have called out from it into the ears of the people, take it in your hand and come.” And Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.

15“Please sit down,” they said, “and read it in our hearing.”

So Baruch read it in their hearing.

15And they said to him, “Sit down, now, and read it in our ears.” And Baruch read it in their ears.

16When they had heard all these words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch, “Surely we must report all these words to the king.”

16And it came to pass at their hearing all the words, that they were in fear, each man to his neighbor, and said to Baruch: “We must surely declare to the king all these words.

17“Tell us now,” they asked Baruch, “how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s dictation?”

17And they asked Baruch, saying: “Declare, please, to us how did you write all these words? From his mouth?

18“It was at his dictation,” Baruch replied. “He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

18And Baruch gave the answer to them: “From his mouth he called out to me all these words, and I was writing upon the book in ink.

19Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide yourselves and tell no one where you are.”

19And the princes said to Baruch, “Go and hide yourself, you and Jeremiah! And do not let a man know where you are.

Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll

20So the officials went to the king in the courtyard. And having stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, they reported everything to the king.

20And they went to the king, into the court, and they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they declared in the ears of the king all the words.

21Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing beside him.

21And the king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who were standing beside the king.

22Since it was the ninth month, the king was sitting in his winter quarters with a fire burning before him.

22And the king was sitting in the house of the winter in the ninth month, and the hearth before his face was burning.

23And as soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll had been consumed by the fire.

23And it came to pass when Jehudi had read three or four columns that he cut it with the knife of a scribe and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed upon the fire that was on the hearth.

24Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their garments.

24And they were not afraid and they did not tear their garments—the king and his servants who heard all these words.

25Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

25And even Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah implored the king to not burn the scroll, and he would not listen to them.

26Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.

26And the king commanded Jerahmeel son of the king, and Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; and YHWH hid them away.

Jeremiah Rewrites the Scroll

27After the king had burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

27And the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words that Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying:

28“Take another scroll and rewrite on it the very words that were on the original scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah has burned.

28“Return, take for yourself another scroll, and write on it all the former words that were upon the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah has burned.

29You are to proclaim concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah that this is what the LORD says: You have burned the scroll and said, ‘Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon would surely come and destroy this land and deprive it of man and beast?’

29And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, thus says YHWH: You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written on it saying the king of Babylon would surely come and destroy this land and cause to cease from it man and beast?

30Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on David’s throne, and his body will be thrown out and exposed to heat by day and frost by night.

30Therefore thus says YHWH concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: There will be no one unto him to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body will be cast out into the heat of the day and into the frost of the night!

31I will punish him and his descendants and servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the calamity about which I warned them but they did not listen.”

31And I will visit punishment upon him and upon his family and upon his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and on those dwelling in Jerusalem and on the men of Judah all the disaster that I have spoken against them, and they did not listen.

32Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and at Jeremiah’s dictation he wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

32And Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe, and he wrote on it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and besides these were added to them many like words.