Jeremiah’s Trial and Rescue

¹At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came from the Lord:

²“Thus said the Lord: Stand in the court of the House of the Lord, and speak to [the men of] all the towns of Judah, who are coming to worship in the House of the Lord, all the words which I command you to speak to them. Do not omit anything. ³Perhaps they will listen and turn back, each from his evil way, that I may renounce the punishment I am planning to bring upon them for their wicked acts.

⁴“Say to them: Thus said the Lord: If you do not obey Me, abiding by the Teaching that I have set before you, ⁵heeding the words of My servants the prophets whom I have been sending to you persistently—but you have not heeded—⁶then I will make this House like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of earth.”

⁷The priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the House of the Lord. ⁸And when Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You shall die! ⁹How dare you prophesy in the name of the Lord that this House shall become like Shiloh and this city be made desolate, without inhabitants?” And all the people crowded about Jeremiah in the House of the Lord.

¹⁰When the officials of Judah heard about this, they went up from the king’s palace to the House of the Lord and held a session at the entrance of the New Gate of the House of the Lord. ¹¹The priests and prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the death penalty, for he has prophesied against this city, as you yourselves have heard.”

¹²Jeremiah said to the officials and to all the people, “It was the Lord who sent me to prophesy against this House and this city all the words you heard. ¹³There-fore mend your ways and your acts, and heed the Lord your God, that the Lord may renounce the punishment He has decreed for you. ¹⁴As for me, I am in your hands: do to me what seems good and right to you. ¹⁵But know that if you put me to death, you and this city and its inhabitants will be guilty of shedding the blood of an innocent man. For in truth the Lord has sent me to you, to speak all these words to you.”

¹⁶Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and prophets, “This man does not deserve the death penalty, for he spoke to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷And some of the elders of the land arose and said to the entire assemblage of the people, ¹⁸“Micah the Morashtite, who prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus said the Lord of Hosts:

Zion shall be plowed as a field,

¹⁹“Did King Hezekiah of Judah, and all Judah, put him to death? Did he not rather fear the Lord and implore the Lord, so that the Lord renounced the punishment He had decreed against them? We are about to do great injury to ourselves!”

²⁰There was also a man prophesying in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and this land the same things as Jeremiah. ²¹King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard about his address, and the king wanted to put him to death. Uriah heard of this and fled in fear, and came to Egypt. ²²But King Jehoia-kim sent men to Egypt, Elnathan son of Achbor and men with him to Egypt. ²³They took Uriah out of Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. ²⁴However, Ahikam son of Shaphan protected Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people for execution.