Jeremiah 26

VIN^{(i) 1} In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: ² “the LORD says: 'Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Don't omit a word. ³ Perhaps they will listen and turn back each from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster that I am planning to do to them because of their evil deeds. ⁴ Say to them, "This is what the LORD says: 'If you don't listen to me to follow my Law which I've set before you, ⁵ to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I have sent to you, over and over again, though you have not listened, ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the earth.'" '" ⁷ The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. ⁸ As soon as Jeremiah finished saying everything that the LORD had commanded him to say to all the people, the priests, the prophets, and all the people seized him, telling him as they did: "You must certainly die! ⁹ Why have you prophesied in the LORD's name, saying, 'This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant?'” All the people were crowded around Jeremiah in the LORD's house. ¹⁰ When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the LORD; and they sat in the entry of the New Gate of the LORD's house. ¹¹ The priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people: "This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears." ¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, saying, "the LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. ¹³ Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the LORD your God's voice; then the LORD will relent from the evil that he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ Look, I'm in your hands, so do with me what you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Only know for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for of a truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears." ¹⁶ Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets: "This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God." ¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land got up and said to all the assembled people, ¹⁸ Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the temple mount as the high places of a forest. ¹⁹ "Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone in Judah kill him? Didn't he fear the LORD and seek the LORD's favor, and so the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he had spoken to them about. We're bringing great disaster on ourselves. ²⁰ "There was another man prophesying in the name of the LORD. His name was Uriah, son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹ "When King Jehoiakim and all his personal troops and officials heard what Uriah said the king wanted to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt. ²² And Jehoiakim the king sent Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and certain men with him, into Egypt. ²³ "They brought Uriah from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim. The king executed Uriah and threw his body into the burial ground for the common people." ²⁴ Ahikam, son of Shaphan, supported Jeremiah. So Jeremiah was not handed over to the people to be put to death.