BOOK IV

Psalms 90–106

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

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. ⁹ In the ninth month^(S) of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting^(T) 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^(U) son of Shaphan^(V) the secretary,^(W) which was in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate^(X) 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^(Y) room in the royal palace, where all the officials were sitting: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan^(Z) son of Akbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.^{(AA) 13} After Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read to the people from the scroll, ¹⁴ all the officials sent Jehudi^(AB) son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Bring the scroll^(AC) 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^(AD) 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^(AE) all this? Did Jeremiah dictate it?”

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

¹⁹ Then the officials^(AG) said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah, go and hide.^(AH) 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^(AI) to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king^(AJ) and all the officials standing beside him. ²² It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment,^(AK) with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. ²³ Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll,^(AL) 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.^{(AM) 24} The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear,^(AN) nor did they tear their clothes.^{(AO) 25} Even though Elnathan, Delaiah^(AP) and Gemariah^(AQ) 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^(AR) Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden^(AS) them.

²⁷ After the king burned the scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s dictation,^(AT) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁸ “Take another scroll^(AU) 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^(AV) both man and beast?”^{(AW) 30} Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim^(AX) king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out^(AY) and exposed^(AZ) to the heat by day and the frost by night.^{(BA) 31} I will punish him and his children^(BB) and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster^(BC) I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.^(BD)’”

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

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

²³ But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,^{(A) 24} I plan to do so when I go to Spain.^(B) I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist^(C) me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. ²⁵ Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem^(D) in the service^(E) of the Lord’s people^(F) there. ²⁶ For Macedonia^(G) and Achaia^(H) were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.^{(I) 27} They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.^{(J) 28} So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain^(K) and visit you on the way. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you,^(L) I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰ I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit,^(M) to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.^{(N) 31} Pray that I may be kept safe^(O) from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution^(P) I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people^(Q) there, ³² so that I may come to you^(R) with joy, by God’s will,^(S) and in your company be refreshed.^{(T) 33} The God of peace^(U) be with you all. Amen.

¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.^{(A) 16} You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you^(B) so that you might go and bear fruit^(C)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.^{(D) 17} This is my command: Love each other.^(E)

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you,^(F) keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you^(G) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.^{(H) 20} Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[a](I) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.^(J) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name,^(K) for they do not know the one who sent me.^{(L) 22} If I had not come and spoken to them,^(M) they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.^{(N) 23} Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did,^(O) they would not be guilty of sin.^(P) As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:^(Q) ‘They hated me without reason.’^[b](R)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

²⁶ “When the Advocate^(S) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father^(T)—the Spirit of truth^(U) who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.^{(V) 27} And you also must testify,^(W) for you have been with me from the beginning.^(X)