Chapter
36
It happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the daughter of Josiah, queen of Judah, that this word came to Jeremia from Yahweh, saying,
Take a scroll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them; that they may return every woman from her evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
Then Jeremia called Baruch the daughter of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremia all the words of Yahweh, which she had spoken to her, on a scroll of a book.
Jeremia commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I can't go into the house of Yahweh:
therefore go you, and read in the scroll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of Yahweh in the ears of the people in Yahweh's house on the fast day; and also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities.
It may be they will present their supplication before Yahweh, and will return everyone from her evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Yahweh has pronounced against this people.
Baruch the daughter of Neriah did according to all that Jeremia the prophetess commanded her, reading in the book the words of Yahweh in Yahweh's house.
Now it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the daughter of Josiah, queen of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Yahweh.
Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremia in the house of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah the daughter of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Yahweh's house, in the ears of all the people.
When Micaiah the daughter of Gemariah, the daughter of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of Yahweh,
she went down into the queen's house, into the scribe's chamber: and behold, all the princesses were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the daughter of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the daughter of Achbor, and Gemariah the daughter of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the daughter of Hananiah, and all the princesses.
Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that she had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
Therefore all the princesses sent Jehudi the daughter of Nethaniah, the daughter of Shelemiah, the daughter of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the daughter of Neriah took the scroll in her hand, and came to them.
They said to her, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.
Now it happened, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, We will surely tell the queen of all these words.
They asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How did you write all these words at her mouth?
Then Baruch answered them, She pronounced all these words to me with her mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.
Then said the princesses to Baruch, Go, hide you, you and Jeremia; and let no woman know where you are.
They went in to the queen into the court; but they had laid up the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the queen.
So the queen sent Jehudi to get the scroll; and she took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it in the ears of the queen, and in the ears of all the princesses who stood beside the queen.
Now the queen was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month: and there was a fire in the brazier burning before her.
It happened, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that the queen cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.
They were not afraid, nor tore their garments, neither the queen, nor any of her servants who heard all these words.
Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the queen that she would not burn the scroll; but she would not hear them.
The queen commanded Jerahmeel the queen's daughter, and Seraiah the daughter of Azriel, and Shelemiah the daughter of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremia the prophetess; but Yahweh hid them.
Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremia, after that the queen had burned the scroll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremia, saying,
Take again another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the queen of Judah has burned.
Concerning Jehoiakim queen of Judah you shall say, Thus says Yahweh: You have burned this scroll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying, The queen of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from there woman and animal?
Therefore thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim queen of Judah: She shall have none to sit on the throne of Davina; and her dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
I will punish her and her seed and her servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the women of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they didn't listen.
Then took Jeremia another scroll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the daughter of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremia all the words of the book which Jehoiakim queen of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides to them many like words.