Jeremiah 36 — Septuagint (LXX)

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

"Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you — from the days of Josiah — until today.

Perhaps the house of Judah will hear of all the disaster I intend to bring on them, and each person will turn back from his evil way, and I will forgive their iniquity and their sin."

Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll, at Jeremiah's dictation, all the words of the LORD that he had spoken to him.

Then Jeremiah instructed Baruch: "I am restricted — I cannot enter the house of the LORD.

So you must go and read from the scroll — the words of the LORD that you wrote at my dictation — in the hearing of the people in the house of the LORD on a day of fasting. Read them also in the hearing of all the people of Judah who come in from their cities.

Perhaps their plea for mercy will come before the LORD and each of them will turn back from his evil way, because the anger and the fury that the LORD has declared against this people are great."

Baruch son of Neriah did everything that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading the words of the LORD from the scroll in the house of the LORD.

In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, a fast was proclaimed before the LORD for all the people in Jerusalem and all the people coming in from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.

Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, in the hearing of all the people.

When Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,

he went down to the royal palace, to the chamber of the scribe, and there all the officials were sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials.

Micaiah reported to them all the words he had heard when Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.

All the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah son of Shelemiah son of Cushi to Baruch, saying, "Take the scroll from which you read in the hearing of the people and come." So Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.

They said to him, "Sit down and read it to us." So Baruch read it in their hearing.

When they heard all the words, they turned to one another in alarm and said to Baruch, "We must certainly report all these words to the king."

They questioned Baruch: "Tell us — how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?"

Baruch answered them, "He dictated all these words to me from his mouth, and I wrote them on the scroll with ink."

The officials said to Baruch, "Go and hide — you and Jeremiah. No one must know where you are."

They went to the king in the court, but first they deposited the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Then they reported all the words to the king.

The king sent Jehudi to fetch the scroll. He took it from the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and all the officials standing beside the king.

The king was sitting in the winter quarters — it was the ninth month — with a fire burning in the brazier before him.

Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a scribe's knife and throw them into the fire in the brazier, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire in the brazier.

They showed no fear and did not tear their garments — neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words.

Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.

The king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD hid them.

After the king had burned the scroll and the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

"Take another scroll and write on it all the previous words that were on the first scroll — the one that Jehoiakim king of Judah burned.

And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, you are to say: This is what the LORD says — You burned this scroll, saying, 'Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and eliminate from it both human and animal?'

Therefore, this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body will be thrown out, exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.

I will punish him, his offspring, and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah every disaster I have spoken against them — but they would not listen."

Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah, the scribe. Baruch wrote on it, at Jeremiah's dictation, all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire — and many similar words were added to them besides.