Jeremiah 36

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

1In the ^afourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“Take ^ba scroll and ^cwrite on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and ^dJudah ^eand all the nations, ^ffrom the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 ^gIt may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, ^hso that every one may turn from his evil way, and ⁱthat I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

4Then Jeremiah called ^jBaruch the son of Neriah, and ^kBaruch wrote on ^la scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. 5And Jeremiah ordered ^mBaruch, saying, ⁿ“I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, 6so you are to go, and ^oon a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. 7 ^pIt may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, ^qand that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

9 ^rIn the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, ^sin the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem ^tproclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in ^uthe chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.

11When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, son of ^vShaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12he went down to the king’s house, into the secretary’s chamber, and ^wall the officials were sitting there: ^xElishama the secretary, ^yDelaiah the son of Shemaiah, ^zElnathan ^aathe son of Achbor, ^abGemariah the son of ^acShaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people. 14Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, son of ^adShelemiah, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Take in your hand the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15And they said to him, “Sit down and read it.” So Baruch read it to them. 16When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. And they said to Baruch, ^ae“We must report all these words to the king.” 17Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?” 18Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me, ^afwhile I wrote them with ink on the scroll.” 19Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.”

20So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in ^agthe chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. 21Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22It was ^ahthe ninth month, and the king was sitting in ^aithe winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. 23As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. 24Yet ^ajneither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, ^aknor did they tear their garments. 25Even when ^alElnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah ^amurged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the ^anking’s son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and ^aoShelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize ^apBaruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

27Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28“Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, ^aq“Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” 30Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: ^arHe shall have none ^asto sit on the throne of David, ^atand his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 ^auAnd I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”

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