Jeremiah 36
1IN the fourth year of Joakim son of Josias, king of Juda, a word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2Take thee a roll of a book and write therein all the words which I have spoken to thee against Jerusalem and against Juda and against all the nations from the day I first spoke to thee—from the days of Josias king of Juda even to this day.
3Perhaps the house of Juda will hear all the evils which I am purposing to do to them, that they may turn from their evil way and that I may be merciful to their iniquities and their sins.
4Thereupon Jeremias sent for Baruch, son of Nerias, and he wrote in a book, from the mouth of Jeremias, all the words which the Lord had spoken to him.
5Then Jeremias gave a charge to Baruch, saying, I am watched so that I cannot go to the house of the Lord;
6therefore thou shalt read from this roll in the hearing of the people in the house of the Lord on the fast day, even in the hearing of all Juda who come from their cities thou shalt read to them.
7Perhaps they may find favour in the sight of the Lord and turn from their evil way, for great is the wrath and the anger of the Lord which He hath denounced against this people.
8So Baruch did according to all that Jeremias commanded him, that he might read from the book the words of the Lord in the house of the Lord.
9And it came to pass that in the eighth year of the reign of Joakim, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and the house of Juda kept a solemn fast before the Lord.
10And Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremias in the house of the Lord in the house of Gamarias son of Saphan the scribe, in the upper court at the vestibule of the new gate of the house of the Lord and in the hearing of all the people.
11And when Michaias son of Gamarias son of Saphan heard all the words of the Lord from the book,
12he went down to the king’s house, to the house of the secretary; and lo! all the chiefs were there in council, namely, Elisama the secretary, and Dalias son of Selemias, and Jonathan son of Achobar and Gamarias son of Saphan and Sedekias son of Ananias and all the chiefs.
13And when Michaias told them all the words which he had heard, which Baruch read in the hearing of the people,
14all the chiefs sent Judin son of Nathanias son of Selemias, son of Chusi to Baruch, saying, Take in thy hand the roll thou art reading to the people and come. Accordingly Baruch took the roll and went down to them.
15And they said to him, Read it again to us. So Baruch read it.
16And when they had heard all the words, they consulted and said one to another, We must certainly inform the king of all these words.
17Then they questioned Baruch and said, Where didst thou write all these words?
18And Baruch said, From his mouth. Jeremias dictated to me all these words and I wrote them in a book.
19Then they said to Baruch, Go and hide, both thou and Jeremias and let no man know where you are.
20Then they went to court to the king, but left the roll in safe keeping in the house of Elisamas and they told the king all the words.
21And the king sent Judin for the book. And Judin having brought it from the house of Elisamas read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the chiefs who were standing round the king.
22Now the king was sitting in the winter house and there was a grate with fire in it before him.
23So as Judin read three or four folds, he cut them off with the secretary’s knife and threw them into the fire in the grate, till the whole roll was consumed in the fire.
24But neither the king nor his servants, who heard all these words, made any inquiry nor rent their clothes.
25Nay Elnathan and Godolias suggested to the king to burn the roll.
26Then the king commanded Jeremeel the king’s son and Saraias son of Esriel to apprehend Baruch and Jeremias. But they had hid themselves.
27And after the king had burned the roll—all the words which Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremias, a word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying:
28Take thee another roll and write all the words which were in that roll which king Joakim hath burned,
29and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord: Thou hast burned that roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein and said that the king of Babylon shall surely come and lay waste this land, so that neither man nor beast shall be left therein?
30Therefore thus said the Lord respecting Joakim king of Juda, He shall not have one to sit on the throne of David; and his carcass shall be exposed to the heat of the day and to the frost of the night;
31and I will keep a watch upon him and upon his family and upon his servants and bring upon him and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the land of Juda all the evils which I have denounced against them and to which they have not hearkened.
32So Baruch took another roll and wrote thereon from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the book which Joakim had burned and to it were added more words similar to them.