1 In the beginning of the reigne of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, came this worde from the Lord, saying, 2 Thus saith the Lord, Sande in the court of the Lordes House, and speake vnto all the cities of Iudah, which come to worshippe in the Lords House, all the wordes that I commaund thee to speake vnto them: keepe not a worde backe, 3 If so be they will hearken, and turne euery man from his euill way, that I may repent me of the plague, which I haue determined to bring vpon them, because of the wickednesse of their workes. 4 And thou shalt say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord, If ye will not heare me to walke in my Lawes, which I haue set before you, 5 And to heare ye wordes of my seruants the Prophets, whome I sent vnto you, both rising vp earely, and sending them, and will not obey them, 6 Then will I make this House like Shiloh, and will make this citie a curse to all the nations of the earth. 7 So the Priestes, and the Prophets, and all the people heard Ieremiah speaking these wordes in the House of the Lord. 8 Nowe when Ieremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speake vnto all the people, then the Priestes, and the prophets, and all the people tooke him, and saide, Thou shalt die the death. 9 Why hast thou prophecied in the Name of the Lord, saying, This House shall be like Shiloh, and this citie shalbe desolate without an inhabitant? and all the people were gathered against Ieremiah in the House of the Lord. 10 And when the princes of Iudah heard of these things, they came vp from the Kings house into the House of the Lord, and sate downe in the entrie of the new gate of the Lords House. 11 Then spake the Priestes, and the prophets vnto the princes, and to all the people, saying, This man is worthie to die: for he hath prophecied against this citie, as ye haue heard with your eares. 12 Then spake Ieremiah vnto all the princes, and to al the people, saying, The Lord hath sent me to prophecie against this house and against this citie all the things that ye haue heard. 13 Therefore nowe amende your wayes and your workes, and heare the voyce of the Lord your God, that the Lord may repent him of the plague, that he hath pronounced against you. 14 As for me, beholde, I am in your hands: do with me as ye thinke good and right. 15 But knowe ye for certaine, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood vpon your selues, and vpon this citie, and vpon the inhabitants thereof: for of a trueth the Lord hath sent me vnto you, to speake all these words in your eares. 16 Then saide the princes and all the people vnto the Priestes, and to the prophets, This man is not worthie to die: for he hath spoken vnto vs in the Name of the Lord our God. 17 Then rose vp certaine of the Elders of the lande, and spake to all the assemblie of the people, saying, 18 Michah the Morashite prophecied in the dayes of Hezekiah king of Iudah, and spake to al the people of Iudah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hostes, Zion shall be plowed like a fielde, and Ierusalem shalbe an heape, and the mountaine of the House shalbe as the hie places of the forest. 19 Did Hezekiah King of Iudah, and all Iudah put him to death? did he not feare ye Lord, and prayed before the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the plague, that he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great euill against our soules. 20 And there was also a man that prophecied in the Name of the Lord, one Vriiah the sonne of Shemaiah, of Kiriath-iarem, who prophecied against this citie, and against this lande, according to all the wordes of Ieremiah. 21 Nowe when Iehoiakim the King with all his men of power, and all the princes heard his wordes, the King sought to slay him. But when Vriiah heard it, he was afraide and fled, and went into Egypt. 22 Then Iehoiakim the King sent men into Egypt, euen Elnathan the sonne of Achbor, and certaine with him into Egypt. 23 And they fet Vriiah out of Egypt, and brought him vnto Iehoiakim the King, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead bodie into the graues of the children of the people. 24 But the hande of Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan was with Ieremiah that they shoulde not giue him into the hande of the people to put him to death.
Jeremiah Is Brought to Trial
1 Soon after Jehoiakim son of Josiah became king of Judah, 2 the Lord said to me, “Stand in the court of the Temple and proclaim all I have commanded you to say to the people who come from the towns of Judah to worship there. Do not leave out anything. 3 Perhaps the people will listen and give up their evil ways. If they do, then I will change my mind about the destruction I plan to bring on them for all their wicked deeds.”
4 The Lord told me to say to the people, “I, the Lord, have said that you must obey me by following the teaching that I gave you, 5 and by paying attention to the words of my servants, the prophets, whom I have kept on sending to you. You have never obeyed what they said. 6 If you continue to disobey, then I will do to this Temple what I did to Shiloh, and all the nations of the world will use the name of this city as a curse.”
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard me saying these things in the Temple, 8 and as soon as I had finished all that the Lord had commanded me to speak, they grabbed me and shouted, “You ought to be killed for this! 9 Why have you said in the Lord's name that this Temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will be destroyed and no one will live in it?” Then the people crowded around me.
10 When the leaders of Judah heard what had happened, they hurried from the royal palace to the Temple and took their places at the New Gate. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people, “This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears.”
12 Then I said, “The Lord sent me to proclaim everything that you heard me say against this Temple and against this city. 13 You must change the way you are living and the things you are doing, and must obey the Lord your God. If you do, he will change his mind about the destruction that he said he would bring on you. 14 As for me, I am in your power! Do with me whatever you think is fair and right. 15 But be sure of this: if you kill me, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man, because it is the Lord who sent me to give you this warning.”
16 Then the leaders and the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man spoke to us in the name of the Lord our God; he should not be put to death.”
17 After that, some of the elders stood up and said to the people who had gathered, 18 “When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth told all the people that the Lord Almighty had said,
‘Zion will be plowed like a field;
Jerusalem will become a pile of ruins,
and the Temple hill will become a forest.’
19 King Hezekiah and the people of Judah did not put Micah to death. Instead, Hezekiah honored the Lord and tried to win his favor. And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he said he would bring on them. Now we are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves.”
( 20 There was another man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim, who spoke in the name of the Lord against this city and nation just as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and his soldiers and officials heard what Uriah had said, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it; so he fled in terror and escaped to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor and some other men to Egypt to get Uriah. 23 They brought him back to King Jehoiakim, who had him killed and his body thrown into the public burial ground.)
24 But because I had the support of Ahikam son of Shaphan, I was not handed over to the people and killed.