Jeremiah 26:1-9

1The Lord spoke to Jeremiah at the time when Josiah's son Jehoiakim became king of Judah.

2The Lord said, ‘Go and stand in the yard of the Lord's temple. People come from all the towns in Judah to worship the Lord in his temple. Speak to them. Tell them everything that I command you to say. Do not leave out even one word.

3Perhaps they will listen to what you say. Then they may stop living in the evil way that they do now. If they change how they live, I will not punish them for their sins, as I had promised to do.

4Tell them that the Lord says this: “You must obey me. I have given you my laws that tell you how you should live.

5You must listen to the messages that my servants the prophets tell you. I have sent them to speak to you many times, but you have not listened to them.

6So if you do not obey me, I will destroy this temple, as I destroyed Shiloh. People of all the other nations on earth will use the name of this city as a curse.” ’

7The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah's message in the Lord's temple.

8Jeremiah said everything that the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. Just as he finished, some of the priests, the prophets, and the people took hold of him. They shouted, ‘You deserve to die!

9You should not say that you have the Lord's authority to prophesy such terrible things! You cannot say that this temple will become like Shiloh. You cannot say that this city will become a heap of stones where nobody lives!’ The whole crowd of people pushed together around Jeremiah in the yard of the temple.