Baruch Reads Jeremiah’s Scroll

36 Now it happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of King Josiah of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from Adonai, saying: ² “Take a megillah scroll, and write in it all the words that I have spoken to you about Israel, about Judah, and about all the nations from the day I spoke to you—from the days of Josiah until this day. ³ Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity that I am planning to do to them, in order that they may turn, each one from his evil way. Then I would forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

⁴ So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from Jeremiah’s mouth, all the words that Adonai had spoken to him, into a megillah scroll. ⁵ Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: “I am detained; I cannot go into the House of Adonai. ⁶ So you go and read in the megillah—which you have written from my mouth, the words of Adonai—in the ears of the people, in the House of Adonai, on a fast day. You should also read them in the ears of all Judah coming from their towns. ⁷ Perhaps they will present their supplication before Adonai, and each one will turn from his wicked way. For great is the anger and fury that Adonai has pronounced against this people.”

⁸ So Baruch son of Neriah did according to all that the prophet Jeremiah commanded him, reading from the book the words of Adonai in the House of Adonai.

⁹ Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of King Josiah of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before Adonai—all the people in Jerusalem and all the people that came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Then Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the House of Adonai, in the chamber of Gemariah son of the scribe Shaphan, in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the House of Adonai, in the ears of all the people.

¹¹ Now when Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan, had heard from the scroll all the words of Adonai, ¹² he went down to the scribe’s chamber of the king’s palace. All the officials sat there—the scribe Elishama, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the officials. ¹³ Then Micaiah reported to them all the words that he had heard Baruch reading out of the scroll in the ears of the people.

¹⁴ All the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying: “Bring in your hand the megillah which you read in the ears of the people and come.”

So Baruch son of Neriah brought the megillah in his hand and went to them. ¹⁵ Then they said to him: “Sit down now, and read it in our ears.” So Baruch read it in their ears.

¹⁶ After they had heard all the words, they turned to each other in fear, then said to Baruch: “We will surely report all these words to the king.” ¹⁷ They also asked Baruch, saying: “Tell us now, how did you write all these words? At his dictation?”

¹⁸ Then Baruch answered them: “He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink into the scroll.”

¹⁹ Then the officials said to Baruch: “Go, hide yourself—you and Jeremiah—and let no one know where you are.”

²⁰ Then they went to the king in the courtyard, after they had deposited the megillah in the chamber of the scribe Elishama. They reported all the words in the ears of the king.

²¹ So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the megillah, and he brought it out of the chamber of the scribe Elishama. Jehudi read it in the ears of the king and all the officials who were standing by the king.

²² Since it was the ninth month, the king was residing in the winter house, with a fireplace burning before him. ²³ Now as soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns, he cut it with the scribe’s knife and tossed it into the fire that was in the fireplace, until the whole megillah was consumed in the fire in the fireplace. ²⁴ Yet neither the king, nor any of his servants who heard all these words were afraid, nor tore their clothes. ²⁵ Moreover Elnatan, Delaiah and Gemariah entreated the king not to burn the megillah, but he would not listen to them.

²⁶ Then the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, along with Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah—but Adonai hid them.

²⁷ Then the word of Adonai came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the megillah with the words that Baruch had written at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying: ²⁸ “Take yet another megillah, and write in it all the original words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned up. ²⁹ About King Jehoiakim of Judah you will say, thus says Adonai: ‘You have burned this megillah, saying, “Why have you written in it, saying the king of Babylon will surely come and destroy this land and will bring an end to both man and beast from it?” ’”

³⁰ Therefore thus says Adonai about King Jehoiakim of Judah: “He will have no one to sit on the throne of David. Moreover, his dead body will be tossed out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. ³¹ I will also punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the people of Judah all the calamity that I have pronounced against them—but they did not listen.”

³² Then Jeremiah took another megillah and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, who wrote in it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll which King Jehoiakim of Judah had burned up in the fire—and added to them many similar words.