26At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this Message came from GOD to Jeremiah:H7225H4468H3079H1121H2977H4428H3063H1697H3068H5592"GOD's Message: Stand in the court of GOD's Temple and preach to the people who come from all over Judah to worship in GOD's Temple. Say everything I tell you to say to them. Don't hold anything back.H559H3068H5975H2691H3068H1004H1696H5892H3063H935H7812H3068H1004H1697H6680H1696H1639H16973Just maybe they'll listen and turn back from their bad lives. Then I'll reconsider the disaster that I'm planning to bring on them because of their evil behavior.H8085H7725H376H7451H1870H5162H7451H2803H6213H6440H7455H46114"Say to them, 'This is GOD's Message: If you refuse to listen to me and live by my teaching that I've revealed so plainly to you,H559H559H3068H8085H3212H8451H5414H64405and if you continue to refuse to listen to my servants the prophets that I tirelessly keep on sending to you—but you've never listened! Why would you start now?—H8085H1697H5650H5030H7971H7925H7971H80856then I'll make this Temple a pile of ruins like Shiloh, and I'll make this city nothing but a bad joke worldwide.'"H5414H1004H7887H5414H5892H7045H1471H7767Everybody there—priests, prophets, and people—heard Jeremiah preaching this Message in the Temple of GOD.H3548H5030H5971H8085H3414H1696H1697H1004H30688When Jeremiah had finished his sermon, saying everything God had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and people all grabbed him, yelling, "Death! You're going to die for this!H3414H3615H1696H3068H6680H1696H5971H3548H5030H5971H8610H559H4191H41919How dare you preach—and using GOD's name!—saying that this Temple will become a heap of rubble like Shiloh and this city be wiped out without a soul left in it!" All the people mobbed Jeremiah right in the Temple itself.H5012H8034H3068H559H1004H7887H5892H2717H3427H5971H6950H3414H1004H306810Officials from the royal court of Judah were told of this. They left the palace immediately and came to GOD's Temple to investigate. They held court on the spot, at the New Gate entrance to GOD's Temple.H8269H3063H8085H1697H5927H4428H1004H1004H3068H3427H6607H2319H8179H306811The prophets and priests spoke first, addressing the officials, but also the people: "Death to this man! He deserves nothing less than death! He has preached against this city—you've heard the evidence with your own ears."H559H3548H5030H8269H5971H559H376H4941H4194H5012H5892H8085H24112Jeremiah spoke next, publicly addressing the officials before the crowd: "GOD sent me to preach against both this Temple and city everything that's been reported to you.H559H3414H8269H5971H559H3068H7971H5012H1004H5892H1697H808513So do something about it! Change the way you're living, change your behavior. Listen obediently to the Message of your GOD. Maybe GOD will reconsider the disaster he has threatened.H3190H1870H4611H8085H6963H3068H430H3068H5162H7451H169614"As for me, I'm at your mercy—do whatever you think is best.H3027H6213H5869H2896H347715But take warning: If you kill me, you're killing an innocent man, and you and the city and the people in it will be liable. I didn't say any of this on my own. GOD sent me and told me what to say. You've been listening to GOD speak, not Jeremiah."H3045H3045H4191H5414H5355H1818H5892H3427H571H3068H7971H1696H1697H24116The court officials, backed by the people, then handed down their ruling to the priests and prophets: "Acquittal. No death sentence for this man. He has spoken to us with the authority of our GOD."H559H8269H5971H3548H5030H376H4941H4194H1696H8034H3068H43017Then some of the respected leaders stood up and addressed the crowd:H6965H582H2205H776H559H6951H5971H55918"In the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah, Micah of Moresheth preached to the people of Judah this sermon: This is GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies' Message for you: "'Because of people like you, Zion will be turned back into farmland, Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble, and instead of the Temple on the mountain, a few scraggly scrub pines.'H4320H4183H5012H3117H2396H4428H3063H559H5971H3063H559H559H3068H6635H6726H2790H7704H3389H5856H2022H1004H1116H329319"Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah kill Micah of Moresheth because of that sermon? Didn't Hezekiah honor him and pray for mercy from GOD? And then didn't GOD call off the disaster he had threatened? "Friends, we're at the brink of bringing a terrible calamity upon ourselves."H2396H4428H3063H3063H4191H4191H3373H3068H2470H3068H6440H3068H5162H7451H1696H587H6213H1419H7451H531520(At another time there had been a man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who had preached similarly in the name of GOD. He preached against this same city and country just as Jeremiah did.H376H5012H8034H3068H223H1121H8098H7157H5012H5892H776H1697H341421When King Jehoiakim and his royal court heard his sermon, they determined to kill him. Uriah, afraid for his life, went into hiding in Egypt.H3079H4428H1368H8269H8085H1697H4428H1245H4191H223H8085H3372H1272H935H471422King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor with a posse of men after him.H3079H4428H7971H582H4714H494H1121H5907H582H471423They brought him back from Egypt and presented him to the king. And the king had him killed. They dumped his body unceremoniously outside the city.H3318H223H4714H935H3079H4428H5221H2719H7993H5038H6913H1121H597124But in Jeremiah's case, Ahikam son of Shaphan stepped forward and took his side, preventing the mob from lynching him.)H3027H296H1121H8227H3414H5414H3027H5971H4191
Dublin, OH
