King Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah's First Scroll
1 During the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, 2 since the time Josiah was king, I have been speaking to you about Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Now, get a scroll and write down everything I have told you, 3 then read it to the people of Judah. Maybe they will stop sinning when they hear what terrible things I plan for them. And if they turn back to me, I will forgive them.”
4 I sent for Baruch son of Neriah and asked him to help me. I repeated everything the Lord had told me, and Baruch wrote it all down on a scroll. 5 Then I said,
Baruch, the officials refuse to let me go into the Lord's temple, 6 so you must go instead. Wait for the next holy day when the people of Judah come to the temple to pray and to go without eating. Then take this scroll to the temple and read it aloud. 7 The Lord is furious, and if the people hear how he is going to punish them, maybe they will ask to be forgiven.
8-10 In the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim was king, the leaders set a day when everyone who lived in Jerusalem or who was visiting there had to pray and go without eating. So Baruch took the scroll to the upper courtyard of the temple. He went over to the side of the courtyard and stood in a covered area near New Gate, where he read the scroll aloud.
This covered area belonged to Gemariah, one of the king's highest officials. 11 Gemariah's son Micaiah was there and heard Baruch read what the Lord had said. 12 When Baruch finished reading, Micaiah went down to the palace. His father Gemariah was in the officials' room, meeting with the rest of the king's officials, including Elishama, Delaiah, Elnathan, and Zedekiah. 13 Micaiah told them what he had heard Baruch read to the people. 14 Then the officials sent Jehudi and Shelemiah to tell Baruch, “Bring us that scroll.”
When Baruch arrived with the scroll, 15 the officials said, “Please sit down and read it to us,” which he did. 16 After they heard what was written on the scroll, they were worried and said to each other, “The king needs to hear this!” Turning to Baruch, they asked, 17 “Did someone tell you what to write on this scroll?”
18 “Yes, Jeremiah did,” Baruch replied. “I wrote down just what he told me.”
19 The officials said, “You and Jeremiah must go into hiding, and don't tell anyone where you are going.”
20-22 The officials put the scroll in Elishama's room and went to see the king, who was in one of the rooms where he lived and worked during the winter. It was the ninth month of the year, so there was a fire burning in the fireplace, and the king was sitting nearby. After the officials told the king about the scroll, he sent Jehudi to get it. Then Jehudi started reading the scroll to the king and his officials. 23-25 But every time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king would tell him to cut them off with his penknife and throw them in the fire. Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, but he ignored them, and soon there was nothing left of it.
The king and his servants listened to what was written on the scroll, but they were not the least bit afraid, and they did not tear their clothes in sorrow.
26 The king told his son Jerahmeel to take Seraiah and Shelemiah and to go arrest Baruch and me. But the Lord kept them from finding us.
Jeremiah's Second Scroll
27 I had told Baruch what to write on that first scroll, but King Jehoiakim had burned it. So the Lord told me 28 to get another scroll and write down everything that had been on the first one. 29 Then he told me to say to King Jehoiakim:
Not only did you burn Jeremiah's scroll, you had the nerve to ask why he had written that the king of Babylonia would attack and ruin the land, killing all the people and even the animals. 30 So I, the Lord, promise that you will be killed and your body thrown out on the ground. The sun will beat down on it during the day, and the frost will settle on it at night. And none of your descendants will ever be king of Judah. 31 You, your children, and your servants are evil, and I will punish everyone of you. I warned you and the people of Judah and Jerusalem that I would bring disaster, but none of you have listened. So now you are doomed!
32 After the Lord finished speaking to me, I got another scroll and gave it to Baruch. Then I told him what to write, so this second scroll would contain even more than was on the scroll Jehoiakim had burned.
1 And in the fourth yeere of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, came this word vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 Take thee a roule or booke, and write therein all the wordes that I haue spoken to thee against Israel, and against Iudah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spake vnto thee, euen from the dayes of Iosiah vnto this day. 3 It may bee that the House of Iudah will heare of all the euill, which I determined to doe vnto them that they may returne euery man from his euil way, that I may forgiue their iniquitie and their sinnes. 4 Then Ieremiah called Baruch the sonne of Neriah, and Baruch wrote at the mouth of Ieremiah all the wordes of the Lord, which hee had spoken vnto him, vpon a roule or booke. 5 And Ieremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut vp, and can not go into the House of the Lord. 6 Therefore goe thou, and reade the roule wherein thou hast written at my mouth the words of the Lord in the audience of the people in the Lordes House vpon the fasting day: also thou shalt reade them in the hearing of all Iudah, that come out of their cities. 7 It may be that they will pray before the Lord, and euery one returne from his euill way, for great is the anger and the wrath, that the Lord hath declared against this people. 8 So Baruch the sonne of Neriah did according vnto all, that Ieremiah the Prophet commanded him, reading in the booke the wordes of the Lord in the Lords House. 9 And in the fift yeere of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, in the ninth moneth, they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Ierusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Iudah vnto Ierusalem. 10 Then read Baruch in the booke the wordes of Ieremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the sonne of Shaphan the secretarie, in the hier court at the entrie of the new gate of the Lordes house, in the hearing of all the people. 11 When Michaiah the sonne of Gemariah, the sonne of Shaphan had heard out of the booke all the wordes of the Lord, 12 Then hee went downe to the Kings house into the Chancellours chamber, and loe, all the princes sate there, euen Elishama the Chancellour, and Delaiah the sonne of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the sonne of Achbor, and Gemariah the sonne of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the sonne of Hananiah, and all the princes. 13 Then Michaiah declared vnto them all the wordes that he had heard when Baruch read in the booke in the audience of the people. 14 Therefore all the princes sent Iehudi the sonne of Nethaniah, the sonne of Shelemiah, the sonne of Chushi, vnto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hande the roule, wherein thou hast read in the audience of the people, and come. So Baruch the sonne of Neriah, tooke the roule in his hand, and came vnto them. 15 And they saide vnto him, Sit downe now, and reade it, that we may heare. So Baruch read it in their audience. 16 Now when they had heard all the wordes, they were afraid both one and other, and said vnto Baruch, We will certifie the King of all these wordes. 17 And they examined Baruch, saying, Tell vs nowe, howe diddest thou write all these wordes at his mouth? 18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these wordes vnto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ynke in the booke. 19 Then saide the princes vnto Baruch, Goe, hide thee, thou and Ieremiah, and let no man knowe where ye be. 20 And they went in to the King to the court, but they layde vp the roule in the chamber of Elishama the Chancellour and tolde the King all the wordes, that he might heare. 21 So the King sent Iehudi to fet the roule, and he tooke it out of Elishama the Chancellours chamber, and Iehudi read it in the audience of the King, and in the audience of all the princes, which stoode beside the King. 22 Nowe the King sate in the winter House, in the ninth moneth, and there was a fire burning before him. 23 And when Iehudi had read three, or foure sides, hee cut it with the penknife and cast it into the fire, that was on the hearth vntil all the roule was consumed in the fire, that was on the hearth. 24 Yet they were not afraide, nor rent their garmets, neither the King, nor any of his seruants, that heard all these wordes. 25 Neuerthelesse, Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah had besought the King, that he would not burne ye roule: but he would not heare them. 26 But the King commanded Ierahmeel the sonne of Hammelech, and Seraiah the sonne of Azriel, and Shelemiah the sonne of Abdiel, to take Baruch the scribe, and Ieremiah the Prophet, but the Lord hid them. 27 Then the word of the Lord came to Ieremiah (after that the King had burnt the roule and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Ieremiah) saying, 28 Take thee againe another roule and write in it all ye former words that were in the first roule which Iehoiakim the King of Iudah hath burnt, 29 And thou shalt say to Iehoiakim King of Iudah, Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast burnt this roule, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, that the King of Babel shall certainly come and destroye this land, and shall take thence both man and beast? 30 Therefore thus saith the Lord of Iehoiakim King of Iudah, Hee shall haue none to sit vpon the throne of Dauid, and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heate, and in the night to the frost. 31 And I will visite him and his seede, and his seruants for their iniquitie, and I will bring vpon them, and vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and vpon the men of Iudah all the euil that I haue pronounced against them: but they would not heare. 32 Then tooke Ieremiah another roule, and gaue it Baruch the scribe the sonne of Neriah, which wrote therein at the mouth of Ieremiah all the wordes of the booke which Iehoiakim King of Iudah had burnt in the fire, and there were added besides them many like wordes.