English Standard Version

Jeremiah 36:8-25 English Standard Version (ESV)

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. In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem 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 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 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 all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of 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 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, “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, 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 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 the ninth month, and the king was sitting in 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 neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.

25. Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.