Jeremiah 36

Thomson^{(i) 1} In the fourth year of Joakim son of Josias king of Juda, a word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² Take 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. ³ Perhaps the house of Juda will hear all the evils which I purpose to do to them, that they may turn from their evil way and that I may be merciful to their iniquities and their sins. ⁴ Thereupon 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. ⁵ Then Jeremias gave a charge to Baruch, saying, I am watched so that I cannot go to the house of the Lord; ⁶ therefore 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. ⁷ Perhaps 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. ⁸ So 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. ⁹ And 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. ¹⁰ And 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. ¹¹ And when Michaias son of Gamarias son of Saphan heard all the words of the Lord from the book, ¹² he 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. ¹³ And when Michaias told them all the words which he had heard, which Baruch read in the hearing of the people, ¹⁴ all 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. ¹⁵ And they said to him, Read it again to us. So Baruch read it. ¹⁶ And when they had heard all the words, they consulted, and said one to another, We must certainly inform the king of all these words. ¹⁷ Then they questioned Baruch and said, Where didst thou write all these words? And Baruch said, From his mouth. Jeremias dictated to me all these words and I wrote them in a book. ¹⁸ Then they said to Baruch, Go and hide, both thou and Jeremias and let no man know where you are. ¹⁹ Then 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. ²⁰ And 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. ²² Now the king was sitting in the winter house and there was a grate with fire in it before him. ²³ So as Judin read three or four folds, he cut them off with the secretary's knife and4 threw them into the fire in the grate, till the whole roll was consumed in the fire. ²⁴ But neither the king nor his servants, who heard all these words, made any inquiry nor rent their clothes. ²⁵ Nay Elnathan and Godolias suggested to the king to burn the roll. ²⁶ Then the king commanded Jeremeel the king's son and Saraias son of Esriel to apprehend Baruch and Jeremias. But they had hid themselves. ²⁷ And 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, ²⁸ Take thee another roll and write all the words which were in that roll which king Joakim hath burned, ²⁹ and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast burned that roll, saying, "Why hast thou written therein and said the king of Babylon shall surely come and lay waste this land, so that neither man nor beast shall be left therein;" ³⁰ therefore 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: ³¹ and I will keep a watch upon him and on 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. ³² So 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.