Jeremiah 26:4-24

4And you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “1If you do not listen to Me, to 2walk in My Law which I have set before you, 5to listen to the words of 3My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened; 6then I will make this house like 4Shiloh, and I will make this city a 5curse to all the nations of the earth.”’”

7The 6priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8Yet when Jeremiah finished speaking everything that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “7You must die! 9Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be 8in ruins, without inhabitant’?” And 9all the people gathered to Jeremiah at the house of the Lord.

10When the 10officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat at the 11entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house. 11Then the priests and the prophets 12spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A 13death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied 14against this city, just as you have heard with your own ears!”

12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “15The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13Now then, 16reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you. 14But as for me, behold, 17I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight. 15Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring 18innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words 19so that you hear them.”

16Then the officials and all the people 20said to the priests and the prophets, “No 21death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17Then 22some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18“2324Micah of Moresheth used to prophesy in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies has said: “25Zion will be plowed like a field, And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, And the 26mountain of the house like the 27high places of a forest.”’ 19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah actually put him to death? Did he not 28fear the Lord and plead for the favor of the Lord, and 29the Lord relented of the disaster which He had pronounced against them? But we are 30committing a great evil against our own lives!”

20Indeed, there was also a man who used to prophesy in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from 31Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah. 21When King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard his words, then the 32king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard about it, and he was afraid, so he 33fled and went to Egypt. 22Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: 34Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him, to Egypt. 23And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who 35killed him with a sword and threw his dead body into the 36burial place of the 37common people.

24But the hand of 38Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was 39not handed over to the people to put him to death.