 1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of King Josiah of Judah, this Word came from the Lord saying, 2 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord's house and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not keep back a word. 3 It may be that they will listen, and each man turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the evil which I plan to do to them because of the evil of their doings. 4 You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I am sending to you both rising up early and sending them, but you have not listened; 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. 7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 When Jeremiah stopped speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people took him saying, You shall surely die. 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be wasted without inhabitant? All the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. 10 When the rulers of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord's house. 11 The priests and the prophets spoke to the rulers and to all the people saying, Let a death sentence be for this man for he has prophesied against this city as you have heard with your ears. 12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the rulers and to all the people saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 So now make your ways and your doings good, and obey the voice of the Lord your God. And the Lord will repent of the evil that He has spoken against you. 14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death you shall surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on its people. For truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears. 16 Then the rulers and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, There is not a sentence of death for this man. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. 17 Then some of the elders of the land rose and spoke to all the assembly of the people saying, 18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah and spoke to all the people of Judah saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts: Zion will be plowed like a field and Jerusalem will become heaps and the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest. 19 Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and pray to the Lord and the Lord relented+ of what He had spoken against them? Otherwise we might cause+ a great destruction upon our souls. 20 There was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. 21 When King Jehoiakim with all his mighty men and all the rulers heard his words, the king tried to put him to death. But when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled and went into Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim sent men into Egypt, Elnathan the son of Achbor and men with him. 23 They brought Urijah out of Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim who killed him with the sword and threw his dead body into the graves of the common people. 24 But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
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