[1] It happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of
Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, [2] Take a
scroll of a book, and write therein 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. [3] It may
be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to
them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive
their iniquity and their sin. [4] Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of
Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of
Yahweh, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book. [5] Jeremiah
commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I can`t go into the house of
Yahweh: [6] therefore go you, and read in the scroll, which you have
written from my mouth, the words of Yahweh in the ears of the people in
Yahweh`s house on the fast-day; and also you shall read them in the ears of
all Judah who come out of their cities. [7] It may be they will present
their supplication before Yahweh, and will return everyone from his evil
way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Yahweh has pronounced
against this people. [8] Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that
Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of Yahweh
in Yahweh`s house. [9] Now it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the
son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in
Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to
Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Yahweh. [10] Then read Baruch in the
book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh, in the chamber of
Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry
of the new gate of Yahweh`s house, in the ears of all the people. [11] When
Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book
all the words of Yahweh, [12] he went down into the king`s house, into the
scribe`s chamber: and, behold, all the princes were sitting there, [to
wit], Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan
the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of
Hananiah, and all the princes. [13] Then Micaiah declared to them all the
words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the
people. [14] Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah,
the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, Take in your
hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come.
So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.
[15] They said to him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch
read it in their ears. [16] Now it happened, when they had heard all the
words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, We will
surely tell the king of all these words. [17] They asked Baruch, saying,
Tell us now, How did you write all these words at his mouth? [18] Then
Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth,
and I wrote them with ink in the book. [19] Then said the princes to
Baruch, Go, hide you, you and Jeremiah; and let no man know where you are.
[20] They went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the
scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words
in the ears of the king. [21] So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll;
and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in
the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood beside
the king. [22] Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth
month: and [there was a fire in] the brazier burning before him. [23] It
happened, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that [the king] cut it
with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until
all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. [24] They
were not afraid, nor tore their garments, neither the king, nor any of his
servants who heard all these words. [25] Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and
Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the
scroll; but he would not hear them. [26] The king commanded Jerahmeel the
king`s son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel,
to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Yahweh hid them.
[27] Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, after that the king had
burned the scroll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of
Jeremiah, saying, [28] Take again another scroll, and write in it all the
former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of
Judah has burned. [29] Concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say,
Thus says Yahweh: You have burned this scroll, saying, Why have you written
therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this
land, and shall cause to cease from there man and animal? [30] Therefore
thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to
sit on the throne of David; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day
to the heat, and in the night to the frost. [31] I will punish him and his
seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I
have pronounced against them, but they didn`t listen. [32] Then took
Jeremiah another scroll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of
Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the
book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were
added besides to them many like words.
