Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll
The Lord told Jeremiah to take a scroll and write all the words that had been spoken to him by God against Israel and Judah and all the nations. This was in hopes of the house of Judah finally hearing all the disaster that was set out for them so they could turn from their evil ways, and the Lord may forgive their iniquities and sins.
Jeremiah called Baruch the secretary, and Baruch wrote on the scroll all that Jeremiah dictated to him. Jeremiah told Baruch that since he was banned from going to the house of the Lord, he would have to go for him and the read the words from the scroll to all the men of Judah.
Baruch did all that Jeremiah asked of him and went to the Lord’s house. All the people at that from Jerusalem and Judah proclaimed a fast before the Lord, and in the hearing of all of them Baruch read the words of Jeremiah he had written on the scroll.
When Micaiah heard the words of the Lord from the scroll, he went down to the king’s house and into the secretary’s chamber where all the officials were sitting.
Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard from Baruch when he had read the scroll. So they sent Jehudi to Baruch and told him to go to the officials and read the words of the scroll. When they heard the words they turned to each other in fear.
They told Baruch that they needed to report the words to the king, and asked him how he had written all the words and he explained they were all from Jeremiah’s dictation. They told Baruch that he and Jeremiah needed to hide and not to tell anyone where they were.
So the officials went into the court to the king and reported all the words of the scroll. The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll and had him read it to him. It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house with a fire burning in the fire pot before him.
As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with his knife and throw them into the fire until the entire scroll was consumed. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard the words were afraid. Even when the king was urged not to burn the scroll he would not listen.
Then the king commanded his men to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord had hid them.
After the king had burnt the scroll, the Lord went to Jeremiah and told him to take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were spoken and written on the first scroll.
The Lord said concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, Jeremiah was to say that the king would have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body would be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. Him, his offspring, and his servants would all be punished for their iniquity. The Lord would bring upon them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the disaster that He had pronounced against them.
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah
Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord that he had spoken through Jeremiah.
King Zedekiah sent his servants to Jeremiah and asked him, “Please pray for us to the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. Then the word of the Lord went to him and told him to tell the king of Judah who had inquired of the Lord, that the Pharaoh’s army who had come to help him was returning to Egypt. And the Chaldeans would come back and fight against the city. They would capture it and burn it with fire.
Jeremiah Imprisoned
Jeremiah had set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the people. When he was at the Benjamin gate he was seized for thinking he was deserting to the land of the Chaldeans.
Jeremiah said it was a lie and that he was not deserting to the Chaldeans, but they would not listen to him. They seized him and took him to the officials. The officials were enraged at Jeremiah and they beat him and imprisoned him.
When Jeremiah got to the dungeon cells he remained there many days. King Zedekiah sent for him and received him and the king questioned him secretly in his house.
He asked Jeremiah if there was a word from the Lord. Jeremiah told him that he would be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Jeremiah also asked the king what wrong he had done in order to be put in prison, and asked that he not be sent back.
So King Zedekiah gave orders and Jeremiah was committed to the court of the guard. He was given a loaf of bread daily from the baker’s street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard.
Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern
Some people heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking, of how everyone who stayed in the city would die by sword, famine, and pestilence; but those who went to the Chaldeans would live. They did not like what they were hearing so they said that Jeremiah should be put to death for weakening the hands of the soldiers and people.
King Zedekiah told them that Jeremiah was in their hands. So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. There was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern
When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian and eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard they had put Jeremiah into the cistern he went to the king and told him that those men had done an evil thing and that Jeremiah would surely die of hunger in the cistern.
The king commanded Ebed-melech to take thirty men with him to get Jeremiah out of the cistern. They took old rags and worn out clothes and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah. He put the cloth between his armpits and the ropes, and they lifted Jeremiah out. Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again
King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and wanted to ask him a question and told Jeremiah not to hide anything from him. Jeremiah said to him that if he told him the truth, the king would surely have him put to death.
The king swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”
Jeremiah told him that if he would surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then his life would be spared, the city would not be burned, and his house would live. But, if he didn’t surrender then the city would be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they would burn it with fire and he would not escape.
Jeremiah told the king to obey now the voice of the Lord in what he was telling him, and it would be well with him and his life would be spared.
Zedekiah told Jeremiah not to let anyone know the words that were spoken and he would not die. If the officials heard that the king had spoken with him, Jeremiah was to tell them that he made a humble plea with the king that he would not send him back to the house of Jonathan to die there.
Then the officials went to Jeremiah and asked him and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard. Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.