Jeremiah

The Scroll of Jeremiah

This word from the Lord came to Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah.

“Get a scroll and write on it all that I have spoken to you concerning Jerusalem, Judah, and all the nations, from the first day I spoke to you during the time of Josiah until now.

Perhaps when the people of Judah hear of all the afflictions I plan to send them—to make each of them turn away—they will decide to turn from their wicked ways. Then I may forgive their wickedness and sin.”

Jeremiah then called Baruch, son of Neriah, who, at his dictation, wrote down all the words the Lord had spoken to him on the scroll.

Later, Jeremiah commanded Baruch: “I am in jail and cannot go to the Lord’s house.

So, you go to the Lord’s house on a day of fasting and read publicly everything you wrote as I dictated. Read it to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.

Perhaps they will pray to the Lord, and each one will turn from his wickedness, for great is the Lord’s wrath and the punishment He has threatened for this people.”

So, Baruch, Neriah’s son, did everything that prophet Jeremiah commanded regarding this reading in the house of the Lord.

In the ninth month of the fifth year of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah, a fast was proclaimed before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem and those who came from the towns of Judah.

Then, in the house of the Lord, Baruch publicly read the words of Jeremiah written on the scroll. This he did in the secretary Gemariah’s room, son of Shapan, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the Lord.

When Micaiah, son of Gemariah and grandson of Shaphan, heard all of the Lord’s words written on the scroll,

he went to the secretary’s room in the king’s house, where all the officials were sitting—Elishama, the secretary; Delaiah, son of Shemaiah; Elnathan, son of Achbor; Gemariah, son of Shaphan; Zedekiah, son of Hananiah; and the rest of the officials.

Micaiah told them everything he had heard when Baruch read the scroll’s contents to the people.

Then all the officials sent Jehudi, son of Nethaniah, grandson of Shelemiah, grandson of Cushi, to tell Baruch: “Bring the scroll from which you read to all the people and come!” So, Baruch went with the scroll in his hand.

They told him to sit down and read it to them, and Baruch did so.

When they heard all of this, they looked at each other in fear and said: “We ought to tell this to the king.”

They then asked Baruch: “May we know how you wrote that?” He replied:

“As he dictated these words, I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

Then the officials instructed Baruch: “Jeremiah and you need to hide and let no one know where you are.”

They kept the scroll in Elishama’s house, the secretary, and went to the king in the courtyard to report everything to him.

The king then sent Jehudi to bring him the scroll. Jehudi took it from Elishama’s room and read it to the king and everyone around him.

Now it was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter palace while a fire burned in the firepot before him.

Whenever Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king would cut them into pieces with the secretary’s knife and throw them into the fire until the entire scroll was burned.

Neither the king nor his officials were afraid when they heard all these words, and they didn’t tear their garments.

And yet Elnathan, Deliah, and Gemariah had urged the king not to burn the scroll, but he ignored them.

Instead, the king ordered the king’s son Jerahmeel, and Seraiah, son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch, the secretary, and Jeremiah, the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them.

A word from the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll with the words Baruch had written as Jeremiah dictated:

“Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first one, which Jehoiakim burned.

And tell Jehoiakim this message from the Lord: You have burned the scroll, and you said: This man dared to write that the king of Babylon will definitely destroy this land and wipe out both people and animals!

That is why the Lord has spoken against Jehoiakim, king of Judah: None of his descendants will sit on the throne of David. His dead body will be exposed to the heat of the day and the chill of the night.

I will hold him and his children and his attendants accountable for their wickedness. I will pour out on them all the disasters, and the same goes for the people of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem, I have foretold against them because they have paid no attention.”

Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch, son of Neriah, the secretary. He wrote on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim, king of Judah, burned in the fire and added many more similar words.