Jeremiah 26
Expanded Bible
Jeremiah’s Lesson at the Temple
26 This message came from the Lord ·soon after Jehoiakim son of Josiah became [L at the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim] king of Judah [C ruled 605–597 bc]. 2 This is what the Lord said: “Jeremiah, stand in the courtyard of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. ·Give this message [L Say] to all the people of the towns of Judah who are coming to ·worship [bow down] at the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Tell them everything I tell you to say; don’t leave out a word. 3 Maybe they will listen and ·stop [return/repent from] their evil ways. If they will, I will ·change my mind [relent] about bringing on them the ·disaster [evil; trouble] that I am planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord says: You must ·obey [listen to] me and follow my ·teachings [instructions; laws] that I gave you. 5 You must listen to what my servants the prophets [25:4] say to you. I have sent them to you again and again, but you did not ·listen [obey]. 6 If you don’t obey me, I will ·destroy my Temple in Jerusalem as I destroyed my Holy Tent at [L make this house like] Shiloh [7:12–14; 1 Sam. 4:1–22; Ps. 78:60–64]. When I do, ·people all over the world will curse Jerusalem [L I will make this city a curse].’”
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 8 When Jeremiah finished speaking ·everything [L all the words] the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, prophets, and all the people ·grabbed [seized] Jeremiah. They said, “You must die! 9 ·How dare [L Why do…?] you prophesy in the name of the Lord that this ·Temple [L house] will be like the one at Shiloh [C destroyed]! ·How dare [L Why do…?] you say that this city [C Jerusalem] will become a ·desert [ruin] without anyone to live in it!” And all the people ·crowded [assembled] around Jeremiah in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
10 Now when the officers of Judah heard ·about what was happening [L these things/words], they came out of the king’s ·palace [L house] and went up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate. 11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officers and all the other people, “·Jeremiah [L This man] ·should be killed [L deserves the death sentence]. He prophesied against this city [C Jerusalem], and you heard him ·yourselves [L with your ears].”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke these words to all the officers of Judah and all the other people: “The Lord sent me to ·say [L prophesy] ·everything [L all these words] you have heard about this ·Temple [L house] and this city. 13 Now ·change [improve; mend] your ·lives and start doing good [L ways and your deeds] and ·obey [L listen to the voice of] the Lord your God. Then he will ·change his mind and not bring on you [relent of] the ·disaster [evil; trouble] he has told you about. 14 As for me, I am in your ·power [L hand]. Do to me what you think is good and right in your eyes. 15 But be sure of one thing. If you kill me, you will be ·guilty of killing an innocent person [L placing innocent blood on yourselves; Ex. 23:7; Deut. 19:10, 13]. ·You will make this city and everyone who lives in it guilty, too [L …and on this city and everyone who lives in it]! The Lord truly sent me to ·you to give you this message [L speak this word in your ears].”
16 Then the officers and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “·Jeremiah must not be killed [L This man does not deserve the death penalty]. ·What he told us comes from [L He has spoken to us in the name of] the Lord our God.”
17 Then some of the elders of the land [C of Judah] stood up and said to all the people, 18 “Micah, from the city of Moresheth [Micah 1:1, 14], was a prophet during the ·time Hezekiah was [L days of Hezekiah] king of Judah. Micah said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] will be plowed like a field.
·It [L Jerusalem] will become a ·pile of rocks [a heap of ruins],
and the ·hill [L mountain] where the ·Temple [L house] stands will be ·covered with bushes [L a forested high place; Mic. 3:12].’
19 “·Hezekiah king of Judah and the people of Judah did not [L Did Hezekiah king of Judah and people of Judah try to…?] kill Micah. ·You know [L Do you not know…?] that Hezekiah feared the Lord [Prov. 1:7] and ·tried to please [sought the favor of] the Lord. So the Lord ·changed his mind [relented] and did not bring on Judah the ·disaster [evil; harm] he had promised. We will bring a terrible ·disaster [evil; harm] on ourselves [C by hurting Jeremiah]!”
20 (Now there was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from the city of Kiriath Jearim. He ·preached [L prophesied] the same things against this city [C Jerusalem] and this land [C Judah] that Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim, all his army officers, and all the leaders of Judah heard ·Uriah preach [L his words], King Jehoiakim ·wanted [sought] to kill Uriah. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid. So he escaped to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Acbor and some other men to Egypt, 23 and they brought Uriah back from Egypt. Then they took him to King Jehoiakim, who had Uriah ·killed [L struck] with a sword. His body was thrown into the burial place where ·poor [common] people are buried.)
24 ·Ahikam son of Shaphan supported [L The hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with] Jeremiah [2 Kin. 22:3, 8–10]. So Ahikam did not hand Jeremiah over to be killed by the people.
Jeremiah 26
Amplified Bible
Cities of Judah Warned
26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’s house [Jeremiah], and speak to all [the people of] the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word! 3 It may be that they will listen and everyone will turn from his wickedness, so that I may relent and reverse [My decision concerning] the disaster which I am planning to do to them because of their malevolent deeds.’ 4 And you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “If you will not listen to Me and obey My law which I have set before you, 5 and listen and follow [carefully] the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you repeatedly—though you have not listened— 6 then I will make this house [the temple] like [a]Shiloh, and I will make this city [subject to] the curse of all nations of the earth [because it will be so vile in their sight].”’”(A)
A Plot to Murder Jeremiah
7 The priests and the [false] prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 Now when Jeremiah finished proclaiming everything that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the [false] prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh [after the ark of the Lord had been taken by our enemies] and this city [Jerusalem] will be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered around Jeremiah in the [outer area of the] house of the Lord.
10 When the [b]princes (court officials) of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat in the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11 Then the priests and the [false] prophets said to the princes and to all the people, “This man is deserving of death, for he has prophesied against this city as you have heard with your own ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and to all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 Therefore, now change your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent and reverse His decision concerning the misfortune which He has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as seems good and suitable to you. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
Jeremiah Is Spared
16 Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the [false] prophets, “This man is not deserving of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17 Then some of the elders of the land stood up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Zion will be [c]plowed like a field,
And Jerusalem will become [heaps of] ruins,
And the mountain of the house [of the Lord—Mount Moriah, on which stands the temple, shall become covered not with buildings, but] like a densely wooded height.”’(B)
19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put Micah to death? Did he not [reverently] fear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord? And did not the Lord relent and reverse His decision concerning the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But [here] we are [thinking of] committing a great evil against ourselves.”
20 And there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land in words similar to all those of Jeremiah. 21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put Uriah to death; but when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. 22 Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain [other] men with him [went] to Egypt. 23 And they brought Uriah [God’s spokesman] from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with a sword and threw his dead body among the graves of the common people.
24 But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hands of the people to put him to death.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 26:6 Shiloh was once the home of the Tent of Meeting, but it was abandoned and later destroyed after the ark was captured by the Philistines.
- Jeremiah 26:10 The leaders were authorized to settle legal matters.
- Jeremiah 26:18 This prophecy of Micah, made in the days of King Hezekiah, that Mount Zion would become a plowed field was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans took Jerusalem and broke down the walls (2 Kin 25:10). That was in 586 b.c. In a.d. 1542 the present walls of Jerusalem were built by Suleiman the Magnificent, the greatest of the Turkish sultans. By some strange error, the part of the city known as Mount Zion was omitted from the enclosure and remained outside the walls; for centuries it was literally “plowed like a field” just as Micah foretold.
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