36 Baruch writeth as Jeremiah inditeth, the book of the curses against Judah and Israel. 9 He is sent with the book unto the people, and readeth it before them all. 14 He is called before the rulers, and readeth it before them also. 23 The king casteth it in the fire. 28 There is another written at the commandment of the Lord.

And in the fourth [a]year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

Take thee a roll or book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spake unto thee, even [b]from the days of Josiah unto this day.

It may be that the house of Judah will hear of all the evil, which I determined to do unto them, that they may return every man from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sins.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote [c]at the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll or book.

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am [d]shut up, and cannot go into the House of the Lord.

Therefore go thou, and read the roll wherein thou hast written at my mouth the words of the Lord, in the audience of the people in the Lord’s house upon the [e]fasting day: also thou shalt read them in the hearing of all Judah, that come out of their cities.

It may be that they will [f]pray before the Lord, and everyone return from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord hath declared against this people.

So Baruch the son of Neriah did according unto all, that Jeremiah the Prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

¶ And in the fifth [g]year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah King of Judah, in the ninth month, they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the Secretary, in the higher court at the entry of the [h]new gate of the Lord’s house in the hearing of all the people.

11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord,

12 Then he went down to the King’s house into the Chancellor’s chamber, and lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the Chancellor, 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 Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read in the book in the audience of the people.

14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll, wherein thou hast read in the audience of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

15 And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it, that we may hear. So Baruch read it in their audience.

16 Now when they had heard all the words, they were [i]afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will certify the King of all these words.

17 And they examined Baruch, saying, Tell us now, how didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, [j]hide thee, thou and Jeremiah, and let no man know where ye be.

20 ¶ And they went in to the king to the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the Chancellor, and told the King all the words, that he might hear.

21 So the King sent Jehudi to fetch the roll, and he took it out of Elishama the Chancellor’s chamber, and Jehudi read it in the audience of the King, and in the audience of all the princes, which stood beside the King.

22 Now the King sat in the winter house, in the [k]ninth month, and there was a fire burning before him.

23 And when Jehudi had read three or four sides, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire, that was on the hearth.

24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent [l]their garments, neither the King, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

25 Nevertheless, Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah had besought the King, that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.

26 But the King commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the Scribe, and Jeremiah the Prophet, but the Lord [m]hid them.

27 ¶ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (after that the King had burnt the roll and the words that Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah) saying,

28 Take thee again [n]another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll which Jehoiakim the King of Judah hath burnt,

29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim King of Judah, Thus saith the Lord, thou hast burnt this roll, saying, [o]Why hast thou written therein, saying, That the King of Babel shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall take thence both man and beast?

30 Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim King of Judah, He shall have [p]none to sit upon the throne of David, and his [q]dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

31 And I will visit him and his seed, and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah all the evil that I have pronounced against them: but they would not hear.

32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the Scribe the son of Neriah, which wrote therein at the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim King of Judah had burnt in the fire, and there were added besides them many like words.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 36:1 Read Jer. 25:1.
  2. Jeremiah 36:2 Which were twenty and three years, as Jer. 25:3, counting from the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
  3. Jeremiah 36:4 As he did indite.
  4. Jeremiah 36:5 Meaning, in prison, through the malice of the Priests.
  5. Jeremiah 36:6 Which was proclaimed for fear of the Babylonians, as their custom was when they feared war, or any great plague of God.
  6. Jeremiah 36:7 He showeth that fasting without prayer and repentance, availeth nothing, but is mere hypocrisy.
  7. Jeremiah 36:9 The fast was then proclaimed, and Baruch read this rule, which was a little before that Jerusalem was first taken, and then Jehoiakim, and Daniel and his companions were led away captives.
  8. Jeremiah 36:10 Which is the East gate of the Temple.
  9. Jeremiah 36:16 The godly were afraid, seeing God so offended, and the wicked were astonied for the horror of the punishment.
  10. Jeremiah 36:19 They that were godly among the princes gave this counsel, by whose means it is like that Jeremiah was delivered: for they knew the rage of the king and of the wicked to be such, that they could not escape without danger of their lives.
  11. Jeremiah 36:22 Which contained part of November, and part of December.
  12. Jeremiah 36:24 Showing that the wicked instead of repenting when they hear God’s judgments, grow into further malice against him and his word.
  13. Jeremiah 36:26 Thus we see the continual care, that God hath ever over his to preserve them from the rage of the wicked.
  14. Jeremiah 36:28 Though the wicked think to have abolished the word of God, when they have burnt the book thereof: yet this declareth that God will not only raise it up again, but also increase it in greater abundance to their condemnation, as verse 32.
  15. Jeremiah 36:29 These are Jehoiakim’s words.
  16. Jeremiah 36:30 Though Jehoiachin his son succeeded him, yet because he reigned but three months, it was esteemed as no reign.
  17. Jeremiah 36:30 Read Jer. 22:19.

Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll(B) and write on it all the words(C) I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah(D) till now. Perhaps(E) when the people of Judah hear(F) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn(G) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive(H) their wickedness and their sin.”

So Jeremiah called Baruch(I) son of Neriah,(J) and while Jeremiah dictated(K) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.(L) Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple. So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting(M) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.(N) Read them to all the people of Judah(O) who come in from their towns. Perhaps they will bring their petition(P) before the Lord and will each turn(Q) from their wicked ways, for the anger(R) and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll. In the ninth month(S) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting(T) before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. 10 From the room of Gemariah(U) son of Shaphan(V) the secretary,(W) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate(X) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the secretary’s(Y) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan(Z) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.(AA) 13 After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, 14 all the officials sent Jehudi(AB) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll(AC) from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. 15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”

So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear(AD) and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write(AE) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

18 “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated(AF) all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

19 Then the officials(AG) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.(AH) Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi(AI) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king(AJ) and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,(AK) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,(AL) the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.(AM) 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,(AN) nor did they tear their clothes.(AO) 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah(AP) and Gemariah(AQ) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest(AR) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden(AS) them.

27 After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,(AT) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll(AU) and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. 29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it(AV) both man and beast?”(AW) 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim(AX) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out(AY) and exposed(AZ) to the heat by day and the frost by night.(BA) 31 I will punish him and his children(BB) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster(BC) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.(BD)’”

32 So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,(BE) Baruch wrote(BF) on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned(BG) in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.