Jeremiah 36

1It took place in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying.

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

3Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity I intend to inflict on them, so they may turn back, each from his evil path, and I will pardon their guilt and their sin.

4Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from Jeremiah's mouth all the words of Yahweh that he had spoken to him upon a scroll-book.

5Jeremiah commanded Baruch, "I am restrained; I cannot enter the house of Yahweh."

6You go and read in the scroll that you wrote from my mouth the words of Yahweh in the hearing of the people in Yahweh's house on the day of fasting, and also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities.

7Perhaps their supplication will find favor before Yahweh, and they will turn back, each from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Yahweh has spoken against this people.

8Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading Yahweh's words from the book in Yahweh's house.

9It happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they called a fast before Yahweh for all the people in Jerusalem and all the people coming from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.

10Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the book in the house of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entrance to the new gate of Yahweh's house, in the hearing of all the people.

11When Micaiah son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all the words of Yahweh from the book,

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

13Micaiah told them all the words he had heard as Baruch read from the book in the hearing of the people.

14All the princes sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi to Baruch, saying, "Take the scroll from which you read in the hearing of the people, hold it in your hand, and come." Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.

15They said to him, “Please sit and read it in our hearing.” Then Baruch read it in their hearing.

16When they heard all the words, they were afraid, each toward his fellow, and they said to Baruch, "We will surely tell the king all these words."

17They asked Baruch, saying, "Please tell us how you wrote all these words from his mouth."

18Baruch answered them, "From his mouth he proclaimed all these words to me, and I wrote them on the scroll with ink."

19The officials said to Baruch, "Go hide—you and Jeremiah—and let no one know where you are."

20They entered the king's court, deposited the scroll in Elishama the scribe's chamber, and declared all the words in the king's ears.

21The king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe's chamber; then Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes standing beside the king.

22The king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, and the hearth was burning before him.

23As Jehudi read three or four leaves, he tore it with the scribe's knife and hurled it into the fire on the hearth until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire on the hearth.

24The king and all his servants who heard all these words were neither afraid nor tore their garments.

25Even Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah interceded with the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not listen to them.

26The king ordered Jerahmeel son of Hammelech, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, yet Yahweh concealed them.

27Yahweh's word came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll and the words that Baruch wrote from Jeremiah's mouth, saying,

28Take yet another scroll and write on it all the earlier words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned.

29To Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, Thus says Yahweh: You burned this scroll, saying, Why did you write on it, saying, The king of Babylon shall surely come and destroy this land, and cause man and beast to cease from it?

30Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim, king of Judah: None will sit on David's throne for him, and his carcass will be thrown out to the heat by day and to the frost by night.

31I will punish him, his offspring, and his servants because of their iniquity, and I will bring upon them, upon the residents of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah all the disaster that I have declared against them, but they did not heed.

32Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe, who 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 many more words like them were added to those.