Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll of Jeremiah’s Prophecies

36 ⌊And then⌋a in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, ⌊saying⌋,b 2 “Take for yourself ⌊a scroll⌋c and you must write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day that I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, and until this day. 3 Perhaps when the house of Judah hears all the disastersd that I am planning to do to them, then they may turn back each one from his evil way, and I will forgive their guilt and their sin.”

4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh that he had spoken to him on ⌊a scroll⌋.e 5 And Jeremiah instructed Baruch, ⌊saying⌋,f “I am held back, I am not able to enter the temple of Yahweh. 6 So you must go and you shall read aloud from the scroll that you have written from my mouth the words of Yahweh in the hearing of the people in the temple of Yahweh on a day of fast, and also you shall read aloud in the hearing of all those of Judah who came from their towns. 7 Perhaps their plea will fall ⌊before⌋g Yahweh and each one will turn away from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that Yahweh pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet instructed him, to read aloud from the scroll the words of Yahweh in the temple of Yahweh.

9 ⌊And then⌋h in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the towns of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast ⌊before⌋i Yahweh. 10 Then Baruch read aloud from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the temple of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, the secretary, in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the temple of Yahweh in the hearing of all the people.