Jeremiah 36 - Prayer Tents

Baruch Reads the Lord’s Messages

36During the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king in Judah, the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah:H7243H8141H3079H1121H2977H4428H3063H1697H3414H3068H559 2“Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message, right up to the present time.H3947H4039H5612H3789H1697H1696H3478H3063H1471H3117H1696H3117H2977H3117 3Perhaps the people of Judah will repent when they hear again all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings.”H1004H3063H8085H7451H2803H6213H7725H376H7451H1870H5545H5771H2403 4So Jeremiah sent for Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated all the prophecies that the Lord had given him, Baruch wrote them on a scroll.H3414H7121H1263H1121H5374H1263H3789H6310H3414H1697H3068H1696H4039H5612 5Then Jeremiah said to Baruch, “I am a prisoner here and unable to go to the Temple.H3414H6680H1263H559H6113H3201H935H1004H3068 6So you go to the Temple on the next day of fasting, and read the messages from the Lord that I have had you write on this scroll. Read them so the people who are there from all over Judah will hear them.H935H7121H4039H3789H6310H1697H3068H241H5971H3068H1004H6685H3117H7121H241H3063H935H5892 7Perhaps even yet they will turn from their evil ways and ask the Lord’s forgiveness before it is too late. For the Lord has threatened them with his terrible anger.”H5307H8467H6440H3068H7725H376H7451H1870H1419H639H2534H3068H1696H5971 8Baruch did as Jeremiah told him and read these messages from the Lord to the people at the Temple.H1263H1121H5374H6213H3414H5030H6680H7121H5612H1697H3068H3068H1004 9He did this on a day of sacred fasting held in late autumn, during the fifth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah. People from all over Judah had come to Jerusalem to attend the services at the Temple on that day.H2549H8141H3079H1121H2977H4428H3063H8671H2320H7121H6685H6440H3068H5971H3389H5971H935H5892H3063H3389 10Baruch read Jeremiah’s words on the scroll to all the people. He stood in front of the Temple room of Gemariah, son of Shaphan the secretary. This room was just off the upper courtyard of the Temple, near the New Gate entrance.H7121H1263H5612H1697H3414H1004H3068H3957H1587H1121H8227H5608H5945H2691H6607H2319H8179H3068H1004H241H5971 11When Micaiah son of Gemariah and grandson of Shaphan heard the messages from the Lord,H4321H1121H1587H1121H8227H8085H5612H1697H3068 12he went down to the secretary’s room in the palace where the administrative officials were meeting. Elishama the secretary was there, along with Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.H3381H4428H1004H5608H3957H8269H3427H476H5608H1806H1121H8098H494H1121H5907H1587H1121H8227H6667H1121H2608H8269 13When Micaiah told them about the messages Baruch was reading to the people,H4321H5046H1697H8085H1263H7121H5612H241H5971 14the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, grandson of Shelemiah and great-grandson of Cushi, to ask Baruch to come and read the messages to them, too. So Baruch took the scroll and went to them.H8269H7971H3065H1121H5418H1121H8018H1121H3570H1263H559H3947H3027H4039H7121H241H5971H3212H1263H1121H5374H3947H4039H3027H935 15“Sit down and read the scroll to us,” the officials said, and Baruch did as they requested.H559H3427H7121H241H1263H7121H241 16When they heard all the messages, they looked at one another in alarm. “We must tell the king what we have heard,” they said to Baruch.H8085H1697H6342H413H376H7453H559H1263H5046H5046H4428H1697 17“But first, tell us how you got these messages. Did they come directly from Jeremiah?”H7592H1263H559H5046H3789H1697H6310 18So Baruch explained, “Jeremiah dictated them, and I wrote them down in ink, word for word, on this scroll.”H1263H559H7121H1697H6310H3789H1773H5612 19“You and Jeremiah should both hide,” the officials told Baruch. “Don’t tell anyone where you are!”H559H8269H1263H3212H5641H3414H376H3045H375 20Then the officials left the scroll for safekeeping in the room of Elishama the secretary and went to tell the king what had happened.H935H4428H2691H6485H4039H3957H476H5608H5046H1697H241H4428

King Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll

21The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama’s room and read it to the king as all his officials stood by.H4428H7971H3065H3947H4039H3947H476H5608H3957H3065H7121H241H4428H241H8269H5975H5921H4428 22It was late autumn, and the king was in a winterized part of the palace, sitting in front of a fire to keep warm.H4428H3427H1004H2779H8671H2320H254H1197H6440 23Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up.H3065H7121H7969H702H1817H7167H8593H5608H7993H784H254H4039H8552H784H254 24Neither the king nor his attendants showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard.H6342H7167H899H4428H5650H8085H1697 25Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, he wouldn’t listen.H494H1806H1587H6293H4428H8313H4039H8085 26Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the Lord had hidden them.H4428H6680H3396H1121H4429H8304H1121H5837H8018H1121H5655H3947H1263H5608H3414H5030H3068H5641

Jeremiah Rewrites the Scroll

27After the king had burned the scroll on which Baruch had written Jeremiah’s words, the Lord gave Jeremiah another message. He said,H1697H3068H3414H310H4428H8313H4039H1697H1263H3789H6310H3414H559 28“Get another scroll, and write everything again just as you did on the scroll King Jehoiakim burned.H3947H7725H312H4039H3789H7223H1697H7223H4039H3079H4428H3063H8313 29Then say to the king, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned the scroll because it said the king of Babylon would destroy this land and empty it of people and animals.H559H3079H4428H3063H559H3068H8313H4039H559H3789H559H4428H894H935H935H7843H776H7673H120H929 30Now this is what the Lord says about King Jehoiakim of Judah: He will have no heirs to sit on the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to lie unburied—exposed to the heat of the day and the frost of the night.H559H3068H3079H4428H3063H3427H3678H1732H5038H7993H3117H2721H3915H7140 31I will punish him and his family and his attendants for their sins. I will pour out on them and on all the people of Jerusalem and Judah all the disasters I promised, for they would not listen to my warnings.’”H6485H2233H5650H5771H935H3427H3389H376H3063H7451H1696H8085 32So Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again to his secretary, Baruch. He wrote everything that had been on the scroll King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. Only this time he added much more!H3947H3414H312H4039H5414H1263H5608H1121H5374H3789H6310H3414H1697H5612H3079H4428H3063H8313H784H3254H7227H1992H1697