Jeremiah 36:1-21 ▼

1 In the fourth year of the reign of Josiah's son King Jehoiakim of Judah, this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

2 |Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I've spoken to you about Israel, about Judah, and about all the nations, since I first spoke to you in the time of Josiah until the present time.

3 Perhaps the house of Judah will hear about all the calamity that I'm planning to bring on them, and so each of them will turn from his wicked way and I'll forgive their iniquities and sins.|

4 Jeremiah summoned Neriah's son Baruch and at Jeremiah's dictation, Baruch wrote on the scroll all the words of the LORD that he had spoken to him.

5 Jeremiah instructed Baruch, |I'm confined and can't go to the LORD's Temple.

6 You go and read the words of the LORD that you wrote at my dictation from the scroll. Read them to the people at the LORD's Temple on the fast day. Also read them to all the people of Judah who are coming from their towns.

7 Perhaps their pleas for help will come to the LORD's attention, and each of them will turn from his evil lifestyle in light of the great anger and wrath that the LORD has declared against this people.|

8 So Neriah's son Baruch did just as Jeremiah the prophet instructed him, reading the words of the LORD from the scroll at the LORD's Temple.

9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of the reign of Josiah's son Jehoiakim, king of Judah, a fast was proclaimed in the LORD's presence in Jerusalem for all the people of Jerusalem, as well as all the people who were coming from the towns of Judah.

10 Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll to all the people at the LORD's Temple. He did this from the office of Shaphan's son Gemariah the scribe, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD's Temple.

11 When Gemariah's son Micaiah, the grandson of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,

12 he went down to the palace, to the scribe's office, where all the officials were sitting. Elishama the scribe, Shemaiah's son Delaiah, Achbor's son Elnathan, Shaphan's son Gemariah, Hananiah's son Zedekiah, and all the other officials were there.

13 Micaiah told them all the things that he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll to the people.

14 Then all the officials sent Nethaniah's son Jehudi, (who was also the grandson of Shelemiah and Cushi's great-grandson), to Baruch, who said, |Take the scroll that you read to the people and come.| Neriah's son Baruch took the scroll with him and went to them.

15 They told him, |Please sit down and read it to us.| So Baruch read it to them.

16 When they heard all the words, they turned to one another in fear, saying to Baruch, |We must report all these things to the king.|

17 Then they asked Baruch, |Please tell us how you wrote all the words. Did Jeremiah dictate them all?|

18 Baruch answered them, |Yes, Jeremiah dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in the scroll with ink.|

19 Then the officials told Baruch, |Go, hide yourself, both you and Jeremiah, and don't let anyone know where you are.|

20 The officials went to the king in the courtyard, but they deposited the scroll in the office of Elishama the scribe. Then they reported everything written on the scroll to the king.

21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the office of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it to the king and to all the officials who were standing beside the king.