Jeremiah 36
Christian Standard Bible
Jeremiah Dictates a Scroll
36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah,(A) king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll,(B) and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations from the time I first spoke to you during Josiah’s reign until today. 3 Perhaps when the house of Judah hears about all the disaster I am planning to bring on them, each one of them will turn from his evil way. Then I will forgive their iniquity(C) and their sin.”
4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch(D) son of Neriah. At Jeremiah’s dictation,[a] Baruch wrote on a scroll all the words the Lord had spoken to Jeremiah. 5 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I am restricted;(E) I cannot enter the temple of the Lord, 6 so you must go and read from the scroll—which you wrote at my dictation[b]—the words of the Lord in the hearing of the people at the temple of the Lord on a day of fasting. Read his words in the hearing of all the Judeans who are coming from their cities. 7 Perhaps their petition will come before the Lord,(F) and each one will turn from his evil way, for the anger and fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people are intense.” 8 So Baruch son of Neriah did everything the prophet Jeremiah had commanded him. At the Lord’s temple he read the Lord’s words from the scroll.
Baruch Reads the Scroll
9 In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month,(G) all the people of Jerusalem and all those coming in from Judah’s cities into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord.(H) 10 Then at the Lord’s temple, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe,(I) in the upper courtyard at the opening of the New Gate(J) of the Lord’s temple, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read Jeremiah’s words from the scroll.
11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the scribe’s chamber in the king’s palace. All the officials were sitting there—Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor,(K) Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. 13 Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people. 14 Then all the officials sent word to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went to them. 15 They said to him, “Sit down and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.
16 When they had heard all the words, they turned to each other in fear and said to Baruch, “We must surely tell the king all these things.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you write all these words? At his dictation?” [c]
18 Baruch said to them, “At his dictation. He recited all these words to me while I was writing on the scroll in ink.”
Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll
19 The officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide and tell no one where you are.” 20 Then, after depositing the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, the officials came to the king at the courtyard and reported everything in the hearing of the king. 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi then read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials who were standing by the king. 22 Since it was the ninth month, the king was sitting in his winter quarters(L) with a fire burning in front of him. 23 As soon as Jehudi would read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut the scroll[d] with a scribe’s knife and throw the columns into the fire in the hearth until the entire scroll was consumed by the fire in the hearth. 24 As they heard all these words, the king and all his servants did not become terrified(M) or tear their clothes. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah had urged the king not to burn the scroll, he did not listen to them. 26 Then the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah, but the Lord hid them.
Jeremiah Dictates Another Scroll
27 After the king had burned the scroll and the words Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,[e] the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll, and once again write on it the original words that were on the original scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned.(N) 29 You are to proclaim concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have burned the scroll, asking, “Why have you written on it that(O) the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and cause it to be without people or animals?” (P) 30 Therefore, this is what the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah: He will have no one to sit on David’s throne,(Q) and his corpse will be thrown out to be exposed to the heat of day and the frost of night.(R) 31 I will punish him, his descendants, and his officers for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disaster, which I warned them about but they did not listen.’”
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at Jeremiah’s dictation[f] all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim,(S) Judah’s king, had burned in the fire. And many other words like them were added.
Jeremiah 36
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah’s Scroll Read in the Temple
36 In the (A)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Take a [a](B)scroll and write on it all the (C)words which I have spoken to you concerning (D)Israel, Judah, and all the (E)nations, from the (F)day I first spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. 3 (G)Perhaps the house of Judah will listen to all the disaster which I plan to carry out against them, so that every person will (H)turn from his evil way; then I will (I)forgive their wrongdoing and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah called (J)Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a [b](K)scroll [c]at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. 5 Jeremiah then commanded Baruch, saying, “I am [d](L)restricted; I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6 So you go and (M)read from the scroll, which you have (N)written [e]at my dictation, the words of the Lord [f]to the people at the Lord’s house on a day of (O)fasting. And you shall also read them [g]to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. 7 (P)Perhaps their pleading will [h]come before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way; for (Q)great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 So Baruch the son of Neriah acted in accordance with all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, (R)reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.
9 Now in the (S)fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the (T)ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who (U)came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a (V)fast before the Lord. 10 Then Baruch read to all the people from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the (W)chamber of (X)Gemariah the son of Shaphan the (Y)scribe, in the upper courtyard, at the (Z)entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.
11 Now when (AA)Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the book, 12 he went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber. And behold, all the officials were sitting there—(AB)Elishama the scribe, (AC)Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, (AD)Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. 13 And Micaiah (AE)declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the book to the people. 14 Then all the officials sent (AF)Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, who was the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah (AG)took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15 And they said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.” So Baruch (AH)read it to them. 16 When they had heard all the words, they turned in (AI)fear one to another. And they said to Baruch, “We will certainly (AJ)report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us, please, (AK)how did you write all these words? Was it [i]at Jeremiah’s dictation?” 18 And Baruch said to them, “He (AL)dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the book.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go, (AM)hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are.”
The Scroll Is Burned
20 So they came to the (AN)king in the courtyard, but they had deposited the scroll in the chamber of (AO)Elishama the scribe; and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi (AP)read it to the king as well as to all the officials who were standing beside the king. 22 Now the king was sitting in the (AQ)winter house in the (AR)ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier before him. 23 And when Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and (AS)threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all of the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. 24 Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words did (AT)not tremble in fear, nor did they (AU)tear their garments. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah (AV)urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to (AW)seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the (AX)Lord hid them.
The Scroll Is Replaced
27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had (AY)burned the scroll and the words which (AZ)Baruch had written [j]at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, 28 “(BA)Take again another scroll and write on it all the previous words that were (BB)on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned. 29 And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You have (BC)burned this scroll, saying, ‘(BD)Why have you written on it [k]that the (BE)king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will make mankind and animals disappear from it?’” 30 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: “He shall have (BF)no one to sit on the throne of David, and his (BG)dead body shall be thrown out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. 31 I will also (BH)punish him, his [l]descendants, and his servants for their wrongdoing, and I will (BI)bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the people of Judah all the disaster that I have declared to them—but they did not listen.”’”
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch the son of Neriah, and he (BJ)wrote on it at the [m]dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many [n]similar words were added to them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 36:2 Lit scroll of a book
- Jeremiah 36:4 Lit scroll of a book
- Jeremiah 36:4 Lit from the mouth of
- Jeremiah 36:5 Lit restrained
- Jeremiah 36:6 Lit from my mouth
- Jeremiah 36:6 Lit in the ears of, and so throughout this ch
- Jeremiah 36:6 Lit in the ears of, and so throughout this ch
- Jeremiah 36:7 Lit fall
- Jeremiah 36:17 Lit from his mouth
- Jeremiah 36:27 Lit from his mouth
- Jeremiah 36:29 Lit saying
- Jeremiah 36:31 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 36:32 Lit from his mouth
- Jeremiah 36:32 Lit like those
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