Baruch Writes Jeremiah's Words and the Scroll Is Burned
Jeremiah 36:1-32
1In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:2Take for yourself a scroll document and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you concerning Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until this day.3Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the distress that I am planning to do to them, so that each man may turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.4Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD that he had spoken to him on a scroll document.5Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, "I am restrained; I am not able to come into the house of the LORD."6You must come and read in the scroll that you wrote from my mouth the words of the LORD in the hearing of the people in the house of the LORD on a fast day, and also in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities you shall read them.7Perhaps their supplication will fall before the LORD, and each man will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the rage that the LORD has spoken against this people.8Baruch son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, to read the words of the LORD in the document in the house of the LORD.9In the fifth year of Jehoiakim 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 who came from the cities of Judah in Jerusalem.10Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the document in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, in the hearing of all the people.11Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all the words of the LORD from the document.12He went down to the house of the king, to the chamber of the secretary, and behold, all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, and Delaiah son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan son of Achbor, and Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials.13Micaiah told them all the words that he heard when Baruch read the document in the hearing of the people.14All the officials sent to Baruch Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, saying: Take the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people in your hand and come. So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.15They said to him, Sit down, please, and read it in our hearing. So Baruch read it in their hearing.16When they heard all the words, they were afraid, each man to his neighbor, and they said to Baruch, We must report all these words to the king.17They asked Baruch, Tell us how you wrote all these words at his dictation.18Baruch said to them, From his mouth he read to me all these words, and I was writing on the document with ink.19The officials told Baruch, Go and hide, both you and Jeremiah; let no one know where you are.20They came to the king at the court and deposited the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they told all the words in the hearing of the king.21The king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary; Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the officials who stood beside the king.22The king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with the hearth burning before him.23It happened that as Jehudi read three or four columns, he tore it with the scribe's razor and threw it into the fire that was on the hearth, until the whole scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.24Neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words showed fear or tore their garments.25Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah also urged the king not to burn the scroll, but he did not listen to them.26The king commanded Jerahmeel son of the king, and Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to take Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.27After the king had burned the scroll and the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:28Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned.29And say to Jehoiakim king of Judah: Thus says the LORD: You have burned this scroll, asking why it was written that the king of Babylon would come and destroy this land and remove from it both man and beast.30Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall not have one sitting on the throne of David, and his carcass shall be thrown out to the drought by day and to the frost by night.31I will visit upon him and upon his seed and upon his servants their iniquity, and I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon each man of Judah all the distress that I have spoken to them, but they did not listen.32Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the secretary, and he wrote on it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the document that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them.