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.

Bible Gateway Recommends