Jeremiah 36:12–25

¹²he 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,^e Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. ¹³Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people. ¹⁴Then 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. ¹⁵They said to him, “Sit down and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.

¹⁶When 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.” ¹⁷Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, how did you write all these words? At his dictation?”

¹⁸Baruch 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

¹⁹The officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide and tell no one where you are.” ²⁰Then, 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. ²¹The 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. ²²Since it was the ninth month, the king was sitting in his winter quarters^f with a fire burning in front of him. ²³As soon as Jehudi would read three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut the scroll^A 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. ²⁴As they heard all these words, the king and all his servants did not become terrified^g or tear their clothes. ²⁵Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah had urged the king not to burn the scroll, he did not listen to them.