Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Temple

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 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 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.

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.

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

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.

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. 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

11And Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all the words of YHWH from the book, 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 declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the book into the ears of the people.

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.

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

And Baruch read it in their ears.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

24And they were not afraid and they did not tear their garments—the king and his servants who heard all these words. 25And even Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah implored the king to not burn the scroll, and he would not listen to 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

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“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.

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 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! 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.

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.