1And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah , king of Judah , that this word came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah , saying , 2Take thee a roll of a book , and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel , and against Judah , and against all the nations , from the day I spake unto thee , from the days of Josiah , even unto this day . 3It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them ; that they may return every man from his evil way ; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin . 4Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah ; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Jehovah , which he had spoken unto him , upon a roll of a book . 5And Jeremiah commanded Baruch , saying, I am shut up ; I cannot go into the house of Jehovah : 6therefore go thou , and read in the roll , which thou hast written from my mouth , the words of Jehovah in the ears of the people in Jehovah ’s house upon the fast-day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities . 7It may be they will present their supplication before Jehovah , and will return every one from his evil way ; for great is the anger and the wrath that Jehovah hath pronounced against this people . 8And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him , reading in the book the words of Jehovah in Jehovah ’s house .
The Reading of the Scroll
9Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah , king of Judah , in the ninth month , that all the people in Jerusalem , and all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem , proclaimed a fast before Jehovah . 10Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah , in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe , in the upper court , at the entry of the new gate of Jehovah ’s house , in the ears of all the people . 11And when Micaiah the son of Gemariah , the son of Shaphan , had heard out of the book all the words of Jehovah , 12he went down into the king ’s house , into the scribe ’s chamber : and , lo , all the princes were sitting there , to wit , Elishama the scribe , and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah , and Elnathan the son of Achbor , and Gemariah the son of Shaphan , and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah , and all the princes . 13Then Micaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard , when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people . 14Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah , the son of Shelemiah , the son of Cushi , unto Baruch , saying, Take in thy hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people , and come . So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand , and came unto them . 15And they said unto him , Sit down now , and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. 16Now it came to pass , when they had heard all the words , they turned in fear one toward another , and said unto Baruch , We will surely tell the king of all these words . 17And they asked Baruch , saying , Tell us now , How didst thou write all these words at his mouth ? 18Then Baruch answered them , He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth , and I wrote them with ink in the book .
The Response of the Officials
19Then said the princes unto Baruch , Go , hide thee , thou and Jeremiah ; and let no man know where ye are . 20And they went in to the king into the court ; but they had laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe ; and they told all the words in the ears of the king . 21So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll ; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe . And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king , and in the ears of all the princes that stood beside the king . 22Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month : and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him . 23And it came to pass , when Jehudi had read three or four leaves , that the king cut it with the penknife , and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. 24And they were not afraid , nor rent their garments, neither the king , nor any of his servants that heard all these words . 25Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll ; but he would not hear them .
Jehoiakim's Rejection of the Scroll
26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king ’s son , and Seraiah the son of Azriel , and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel , to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet ; but Jehovah hid them . 27Then the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah , after that the king had burned the roll , and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah , saying , 28Take thee again another roll , and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll , which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned . 29And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah thou shalt say, Thus saith Jehovah : Thou hast burned this roll , saying, Why hast thou written therein , saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? 30Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah : He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David ; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat , and in the night to the frost . 31And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity ; and I will bring upon them , and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem , and upon the men of Judah , all the evil that I have pronounced against them , but they hearkened not . 32Then took Jeremiah another roll , and gave it to Baruch the scribe , the son of Neriah , who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides unto them many like words .