Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Take a scroll^(B) and write on it all the words^(C) I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah^(D) till now. ³ Perhaps^(E) when the people of Judah hear^(F) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn^(G) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive^(H) their wickedness and their sin.”

⁴ So Jeremiah called Baruch^(I) son of Neriah,^(J) and while Jeremiah dictated^(K) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.^{(L) 5} Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple. ⁶ So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting^(M) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.^(N) Read them to all the people of Judah^(O) who come in from their towns. ⁷ Perhaps they will bring their petition^(P) before the Lord and will each turn^(Q) from their wicked ways, for the anger^(R) and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

⁸ Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll.

²¹ The king sent Jehudi^(A) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king^(B) and all the officials standing beside him. ²² It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,^(C) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. ²³ Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,^(D) the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.^{(E) 24} The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,^(F) nor did they tear their clothes.^{(G) 25} Even though Elnathan, Delaiah^(H) and Gemariah^(I) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. ²⁶ Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest^(J) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden^(K) them.