Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Take a scroll^(B) and write on it all the words^(C) I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah^(D) till now. ³ Perhaps^(E) when the people of Judah hear^(F) about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn^(G) from their wicked ways; then I will forgive^(H) their wickedness and their sin.”

⁴ So Jeremiah called Baruch^(I) son of Neriah,^(J) and while Jeremiah dictated^(K) all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.^{(L) 5} Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I am not allowed to go to the Lord’s temple. ⁶ So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting^(M) and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated.^(N) Read them to all the people of Judah^(O) who come in from their towns. ⁷ Perhaps they will bring their petition^(P) before the Lord and will each turn^(Q) from their wicked ways, for the anger^(R) and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

⁸ Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the Lord’s temple he read the words of the Lord from the scroll.

A Message to Baruch

45 When Baruch^(A) son of Neriah^(B) wrote on a scroll^(C) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(D) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: ² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: ³ You said, ‘Woe^(E) to me! The Lord has added sorrow^(F) to my pain;^(G) I am worn out with groaning^(H) and find no rest.’^{(I) 4} But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot^(J) what I have planted,^(K) throughout the earth.^{(L) 5} Should you then seek great^(M) things for yourself? Do not seek them.^(N) For I will bring disaster^(O) on all people,^(P) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape^(Q) with your life.’”^(R)

Daniel’s Training in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim^(A) king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon^(C) came to Jerusalem and besieged it.^(D)

⁹ In the ninth month^(A) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting^(B) before the Lord was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah. ¹⁰ From the room of Gemariah^(C) son of Shaphan^(D) the secretary,^(E) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate^(F) of the temple, Baruch read to all the people at the Lord’s temple the words of Jeremiah from the scroll.

¹¹ When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, ¹² he went down to the secretary’s^(G) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan^(H) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.^{(I) 13} After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, ¹⁴ all the officials sent Jehudi^(J) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll^(K) 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^(L) 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^(M) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

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

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

²⁰ After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. ²¹ The king sent Jehudi^(Q) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king^(R) and all the officials standing beside him. ²² It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,^(S) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. ²³ Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,^(T) the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.^{(U) 24} The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,^(V) nor did they tear their clothes.^{(W) 25} Even though Elnathan, Delaiah^(X) and Gemariah^(Y) urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. ²⁶ Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest^(Z) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden^(AA) them.

²⁷ After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,^(AB) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁸ “Take another scroll^(AC) and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up. ²⁹ Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You burned that scroll and said, “Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it^(AD) both man and beast?”^{(AE) 30} Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim^(AF) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out^(AG) and exposed^(AH) to the heat by day and the frost by night.^{(AI) 31} I will punish him and his children^(AJ) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster^(AK) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.^(AL)’”

³² So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated,^(AM) Baruch wrote^(AN) on it all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned^(AO) in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

⁶ Nebuchadnezzar^(A) king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^(B)

² And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried^(A) off to the temple of his god in Babylonia^[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.^(B)

³ Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility^(C)— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, handsome,^(D) showing aptitude for every kind of learning,^(E) well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language^(F) and literature of the Babylonians.^{[b] 5} The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine^(G) from the king’s table.^(H) They were to be trained for three years,^(I) and after that they were to enter the king’s service.^(J)

⁶ Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel,^(K) Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.^{(L) 7} The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar;^(M) to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.^(N)

⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile^(O) himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor^(P) and compassion^(Q) to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[c] food and drink.^(R) Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test^(S) your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”^{(T) 14} So he agreed to this and tested^(U) them for ten days.

¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.^{(V) 16} So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.^(W)

¹⁷ To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding^(X) of all kinds of literature and learning.^(Y) And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.^(Z)

¹⁸ At the end of the time^(AA) set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.^{(AB) 20} In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians^(AC) and enchanters in his whole kingdom.^(AD)

²¹ And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.^(AE)