Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah's Scroll

36 In the ^(A)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Take ^(B)a scroll and ^(C)write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and ^(D)Judah ^(E)and all the nations, ^(F)from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. ^3 (G)It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, ^(H)so that every one may turn from his evil way, and ^(I)that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

⁴ Then Jeremiah called ^(J)Baruch the son of Neriah, and ^(K)Baruch wrote on ^(L)a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. ⁵ And Jeremiah ordered ^(M)Baruch, saying, ^(N)“I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, ⁶ so you are to go, and ^(O)on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. ^7 (P)It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, ^(Q)and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” ⁸ And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.

^9 (R)In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, ^(S)in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem ^(T)proclaimed a fast before the Lord. ¹⁰ Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in ^(U)the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord's house.

¹¹ When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, son of ^(V)Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, ¹² he went down to the king's house, into the secretary's chamber, and ^(W)all the officials were sitting there: ^(X)Elishama the secretary, ^(Y)Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, ^(Z)Elnathan ^(AA)the son of Achbor, ^(AB)Gemariah the son of ^(AC)Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials. ¹³ And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people. ¹⁴ Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, son of ^(AD)Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Take in your hand the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. ¹⁵ And they said to him, “Sit down and read it.” So Baruch read it to them. ¹⁶ When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. And they said to Baruch, ^(AE)“We must report all these words to the king.” ¹⁷ Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?” ¹⁸ Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me, ^(AF)while I wrote them with ink on the scroll.” ¹⁹ Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.”

²⁰ So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in ^(AG)the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. ²¹ Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. ²² It was ^(AH)the ninth month, and the king was sitting in ^(AI)the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. ²³ As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. ²⁴ Yet ^(AJ)neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, ^(AK)nor did they tear their garments. ²⁵ Even when ^(AL)Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah ^(AM)urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. ²⁶ And the king commanded Jerahmeel the ^(AN)king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and ^(AO)Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize ^(AP)Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

²⁷ Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁸ “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. ²⁹ And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, ^(AQ)“Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” ³⁰ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: ^(AR)He shall have none ^(AS)to sit on the throne of David, ^(AT)and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. ^31 (AU)And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”

³² Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to ^(AV)Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who ^(AW)wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and ^(A)sin which clings so closely, and ^(B)let us run ^(C)with endurance the race that is ^(D)set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, ^(E)who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising ^(F)the shame, and ^(G)is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

^3 (H)Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or ^(I)fainthearted. ⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

⁷ It is for discipline that you have to endure. ^(M)God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸ If you are left without discipline, ^(N)in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹ Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to ^(O)the Father of spirits ^(P)and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, ^(Q)that we may share his holiness. ^11 (R)For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields ^(S)the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

¹² Therefore ^(T)lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, ¹³ and ^(U)make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint ^(V)but rather be healed. ^14 (W)Strive for peace with everyone, and for the ^(X)holiness ^(Y)without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ See to it that no one ^(Z)fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ^(AA)“root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶ that no one is ^(AB)sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that ^(AC)afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

¹⁸ For you have not come to ^(AD)what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest ¹⁹ and ^(AE)the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words ^(AF)made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. ²⁰ For they could not endure the order that was given, ^(AG)“If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹ Indeed, ^(AH)so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” ²² But you have come to ^(AI)Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, ^(AJ)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^(AK)innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to ^(AL)the assembly^[a] of the firstborn who are ^(AM)enrolled in heaven, and to ^(AN)God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, ^(AO)the mediator of a new covenant, and to ^(AP)the sprinkled blood ^(AQ)that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵ See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For ^(AR)if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. ²⁶ At that time ^(AS)his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ^(AT)“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” ²⁷ This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates ^(AU)the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore let us be grateful for receiving ^(AV)a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus ^(AW)let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our ^(AX)God is a consuming fire.

Sacrifices Pleasing to God

13 Let ^(AY)brotherly love continue. ^2 (AZ)Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby ^(BA)some have entertained angels unawares. ^3 (BB)Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. ^4 (BC)Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge ^(BD)the sexually immoral and adulterous. ⁵ Keep your life ^(BE)free from love of money, and ^(BF)be content with what you have, for he has said, ^(BG)“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we can confidently say,

⁷ Remember ^(BJ)your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and ^(BK)imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is ^(BL)the same yesterday and today and forever. ⁹ Do not be ^(BM)led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, ^(BN)not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. ¹⁰ We have an altar ^(BO)from which those who serve the tent^[b] have no right to eat. ¹¹ For ^(BP)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned ^(BQ)outside the camp. ¹² So Jesus also ^(BR)suffered ^(BS)outside the gate in order to sanctify the people ^(BT)through his own blood. ¹³ Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear ^(BU)the reproach he endured. ¹⁴ For ^(BV)here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. ^15 (BW)Through him then let us continually offer up ^(BX)a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, ^(BY)the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and ^(BZ)to share what you have, for such ^(CA)sacrifices are pleasing to God.

¹⁷ Obey ^(CB)your leaders and submit to them, ^(CC)for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to ^(CD)give an account. ^(CE)Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

^18 (CF)Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. ¹⁹ I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order ^(CG)that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction

²⁰ Now ^(CH)may the God of peace ^(CI)who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, ^(CJ)the great shepherd of the sheep, by ^(CK)the blood of the eternal covenant, ^21 (CL)equip you with everything good that you may do his will, ^(CM)working in us^[c] that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, ^(CN)to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

²² I appeal to you, brothers,^[d] bear with my word of exhortation, for ^(CO)I have written to you briefly. ²³ You should know that ^(CP)our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. ²⁴ Greet all ^(CQ)your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. ^25 (CR)Grace be with all of you.