¹⁰ When the officials^(A) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate^(B) of the Lord’s house.

¹⁰ From the room of Gemariah^(A) son of Shaphan^(B) the secretary,^(C) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate^(D) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

²⁷ Her officials^(A) within her are like wolves^(B) tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people^(C) to make unjust gain.^(D)

⁶ “‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.^(A)

⁴ Then the officials^(A) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.^(B) He is discouraging^(C) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”

⁵ “He is in your hands,”^(D) King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing^(E) to oppose you.”

⁶ So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.^(F) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes^(G) into the cistern; it had no water in it,^(H) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.^(I)

¹⁴ “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested^(A) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. ¹⁵ They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten^(B) and imprisoned^(C) in the house^(D) of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

¹⁶ Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time.

²⁵ Even though Elnathan, Delaiah^(A) and Gemariah^(B) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

¹² he went down to the secretary’s^(A) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan^(B) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.^{(C) 13} After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, ¹⁴ all the officials sent Jehudi^(D) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll^(E) from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them with the scroll in his hand. ¹⁵ They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.”

So Baruch read it to them. ¹⁶ When they heard all these words, they looked at each other in fear^(F) and said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” ¹⁷ Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you come to write^(G) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

¹⁸ “Yes,” Baruch replied, “he dictated^(H) all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.”

¹⁹ Then the officials^(I) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.^(J) Don’t let anyone know where you are.”

¹⁹ The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,^(A) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf,