The Scroll Is Read in the Temple
Jeremiah 43, verse 1. Now in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah 43, verse 2. “Take for yourself the scroll of a book, and write on it all the words I instructed you against Jerusalem, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah king of Judah even to this day. Jeremiah 43, verse 3. Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamities I purpose to bring upon them, so as to turn them from their evil way; and I shall be merciful to their wrongdoings and sins.” Jeremiah 43, verse 4. So Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and he wrote on a scroll all the words of the Lord from the mouth of Jeremiah, which he spoke to him. Jeremiah 43, verse 5. Thus Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am under guard and unable to go into the house of the Lord, Jeremiah 43, verse 6. so you shall read from this scroll in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord on the day of fasting, and in the hearing of Judah, who come from their city. You shall read to them. Jeremiah 43, verse 7. Perhaps their supplication will come before the face of the Lord, and they will turn from their evil way; for great is the anger and wrath of the Lord which He pronounced against this people.” Jeremiah 43, verse 8. So Baruch did according to all Jeremiah commanded him, to read from the book the words of the Lord in the house of the Lord. Jeremiah 43, verse 9. Then it came to pass in the eighth year of King Jehoiakim, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and in the house of Judah proclaimed a fast before the Lord. Jeremiah 43, verse 10. Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the house of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, and in the upper court at the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house, in the hearing of all the people.
The Scroll Is Read to the Rulers and People
Jeremiah 43, verse 11. Now Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the book. Jeremiah 43, verse 12. He then went down to the house of the king, into the home of the scribe, and behold, there were sitting all the rulers: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the rulers. Jeremiah 43, verse 13. So Michaiah declared to them all the words he heard Baruch read in the ears of the people. Jeremiah 43, verse 14. Then all the rulers sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch the son of Neriah, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll to read in the hearing of the people and come.” So Baruch took the scroll and went down to them. Jeremiah 43, verse 15. Then they said to him, “Read it again in our ears.” So Baruch read it. Jeremiah 43, verse 16. Now it came to pass, when they heard all the words, they took counsel each with his neighbor, and said, “Let us report all these words to the king.” Jeremiah 43, verse 17. So they asked Baruch, saying, “How did you come to write all these words?” Jeremiah 43, verse 18. Baruch replied, “Jeremiah proclaimed all these words to me from his mouth, and I wrote them in the book.” Jeremiah 43, verse 19. Then they said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and the man Jeremiah. Let no one know where you are.”
The King Burns the Scroll
Jeremiah 43, verse 20. So they went to the king, into the court, but gave the scroll for safekeeping in the house of Elishama; and they reported to the king all these words. Jeremiah 43, verse 21. The king then sent Jehudi to fetch the scroll, and he took it from the house of Elishama. Jehudi then read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the rulers who stood around the king. Jeremiah 43, verse 22. Now the king was sitting in the winter house, and a hearth with a burning fire was before him. Jeremiah 43, verse 23. Then it came to pass, as Jehudi was reading the third or fourth page, he cut them off with the scribe's knife and cast them into the fire of the hearth, until all of the scroll was consumed by the fire of the hearth. Jeremiah 43, verse 24. But the king and his servants who heard all these words did not seek the Lord, neither did they tear their garments. Jeremiah 43, verse 25. But Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah pointed out to the king that he should not burn up the scroll. Jeremiah 43, verse 26. The king then commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel to seize Baruch and Jeremiah, but they were hidden.
Jeremiah Rewrites the Scroll
Jeremiah 43, verse 27. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll containing all the words Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Jeremiah 43, verse 28. “Take again another scroll, and write on the scroll all the words which King Jehoiakim burned. Jeremiah 43, verse 29. Then you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why did you write in it, saying, “The king of Babylon will certainly come in and utterly destroy this land; and man and cattle will cease from it”?’” Jeremiah 43, verse 30. Therefore thus says the Lord against Jehoiakim king of Judah: “He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out into the heat of the day and the frost of the night. Jeremiah 43, verse 31. So I will visit him, his family, and his servants. I will bring upon them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the land of Judah, all the calamities I spoke regarding them, for they did not heed them.”’” Jeremiah 43, verse 32. Then Baruch took another scroll, and he wrote on it all the words of the book from the mouth of Jeremiah which Jehoiakim burned. There were yet more words added to it like the former.