Jeremiah 36:4-26

4Then Jeremiah called 1Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a 23scroll 4at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. 5Jeremiah then commanded Baruch, saying, “I am 56restricted; I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6So you go and 7read from the scroll, which you have 8written 9at my dictation, the words of the Lord 10to the people at the Lord’s house on a day of 11fasting. And you shall also read them 12to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. 713Perhaps their pleading will 14come before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way; for 15great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8So Baruch the son of Neriah acted in accordance with all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, 16reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

9Now in the 17fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the 18ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who 19came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a 20fast before the Lord. 10Then Baruch read to all the people from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the 21chamber of 22Gemariah the son of Shaphan the 23scribe, in the upper courtyard, at the 24entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.

11Now when 25Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the book, 12he went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber. And behold, all the officials were sitting there--26Elishama the scribe, 27Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, 28Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. 13And Micaiah 29declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the book to the people. 14Then all the officials sent 30Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, who was the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah 31took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15And they said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.” So Baruch 32read it to them. 16When they had heard all the words, they turned in 33fear one to another. And they said to Baruch, “We will certainly 34report all these words to the king.” 17Then they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us, please, 35how did you write all these words? Was it 36at Jeremiah’s dictation?” 18And Baruch said to them, “He 37dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the book.” 19Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go, 38hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are.”

20So they came to the 39king in the courtyard, but they had deposited the scroll in the chamber of 40Elishama the scribe; and they reported all the words to the king. 21Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi 41read it to the king as well as to all the officials who were standing beside the king. 22Now the king was sitting in the 42winter house in the 43ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier before him. 23And when Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and 44threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all of the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. 24Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words did 45not tremble in fear, nor did they 46tear their garments. 25Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah 47urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to 48seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the 49Lord hid them.