The Scroll Written and Read
Baruch writes our Father's words from Jeremiah's dictation and reads them at the temple fast; the officials take it seriously and hide both men. Jehoiakim listens by his firepot, slicing off columns and burning them. The scroll is rewritten longer, and his line loses the throne.
36 1In Judah's King Jehoiakim son of Josiah's fourth year, this word came to Jeremiah from our Father:
2"Take a scroll and write on it everything I've spoken to you against Israel, Judah, and all nations, from when I first spoke to you in Josiah's days until now. 3Perhaps Judah will hear all the disaster I plan to bring on them, each turning from his evil way, so I forgive their guilt and sin."
4Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll, from Jeremiah's dictation, all the words our Father had spoken to him. 5Then Jeremiah instructed Baruch, "I am confined; I cannot go to the house of our Father. 6Go read from the scroll our Father's words you wrote as I dictated—read them to all the people in our Father's house on a fast day, and to the people of Judah coming from their towns. 7Perhaps their plea for mercy will reach our Father, and each will turn from his evil way, for our Father has declared great anger against this people."
8Baruch son of Neriah did all Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading our Father's words in the book, in our Father's house. 9In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, ninth month, all in Jerusalem and all who came from Judah's towns proclaimed a fast before our Father. 10Baruch read Jeremiah's words from the scroll for all the people to hear, in the house of our Father, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the New Gate entrance of our Father's house.
11When Micaiah son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all our Father's words from the scroll, 12he went down to the king's house, to the scribe's room, where all the officials sat: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13Micaiah reported all the words he heard when Baruch read from the book to the people. 14So all the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to Baruch: "Bring the scroll you read to the people, and come." Baruch son of Neriah took it and came to them.
15They told him, "Sit and read it to us." So Baruch read it to them.
16Hearing all the words, each turned to his neighbor in fear, saying to Baruch, "We must tell the king all these words." 17They asked Baruch, "Tell us, how did you write all these words? At his dictation?"
18Baruch answered, "He dictated all these words to me; I wrote them in the book with ink."
19Then the officials told Baruch, "Go hide, you and Jeremiah; let no one know where you are."
20So they went to the king in the court, leaving the scroll in scribe Elishama's room, and reported everything to him. 21The king sent Jehudi for the scroll; he took it from the scribe Elishama's room. Jehudi read it aloud to the king and all the officials standing near him. 22The king sat in the winter house, in the ninth month, fire burning in the firepot before him. 23As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife, throwing them into the fire pot until the whole scroll was burned. 24But the king and all his servants who heard these words weren't afraid or tore their clothes. a a v24 Tearing one's clothes was a traditional sign of grief, mourning, or repentance before God. 25Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, but he refused to listen to them. 26The king ordered Jerahmeel the king's son, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but our Father hid them.
27Then our Father's word came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll with the words Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation:
28"Get another scroll and write on it all the words from the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned. 29About Jehoiakim king of Judah, say: This is what our Father says: You burned this scroll, asking, 'Why did you write that the king of Babylon will surely come and destroy this land, wiping out every person and animal?' 30So our Father says of Jehoiakim king of Judah: none of his will sit on the throne of David; his corpse will be thrown out to the day's heat and the night's frost. 31I will punish him, his offspring, and his servants for their sin, bringing on them, Jerusalem's residents, and Judah's people all the disaster I declared against them—but they did not listen."
32Jeremiah took another scroll, gave it to Baruch son of Neriah the scribe, who wrote at his dictation all the words of the scroll Jehoiakim king of Judah burned in the fire, plus many similar words.
