< Jeremiah 43 >

1 Nowe when Ieremiah had made an ende of speaking vnto ye whole people all the wordes of the Lord their God, for the which the Lord their God had sent him to them, euen all these wordes,
IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF JOAKIM son of Josias king of Juda, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Then spake Azariah the sonne of Hoshaiah, and Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and all the proude men, saying vnto Ieremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Goe not into Egypt to dwell there,
Take you a roll of a book, and write upon it all the words which I spoke to you against Jerusalem, and against Juda, and against all the nations, from the day when I spoke to you, from the days of Josias king of Juda, even to this day.
3 But Baruch ye sonne of Neriah prouoketh thee against vs, for to deliuer vs into the hand of the Caldeans, that they might slay vs, and cary vs away captiues into Babel.
Perhaps the house of Juda will hear all the evils which I purpose to do to them; that they may turn from their evil way; and [so] I will be merciful to their iniquities and their sins.
4 So Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and all the captaines of the hoste, and all the people obeied not the voyce of the Lord, to dwell in the lande of Iudah.
So Jeremias called Baruch the son of Nerias: and he wrote from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken to him, on a roll of a book.
5 But Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and all the captaines of the hoste tooke all the remnant of Iudah, that were returned from al nations, whither they had bene driuen, to dwel in ye land of Iudah:
And Jeremias commanded Baruch, saying, I am in prison; I can’t enter into the house of the Lord:
6 Euen men and women, and children, and the Kinges daughters, and euery person, that Nebuzar-adan the chiefe steward had left with Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam, ye sonne of Shaphan, and Ieremiah the Prophet, and Baruch the sonne of Neriah.
so you shall read in this roll in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord, on the fast day; and in the ears of all Juda that come out of their cities, you shall read to them.
7 So they came into the lande of Egypt: for they obeied not the voice of the Lord: thus came they to Tahpanhes.
Peradventure their supplication will come before the Lord, and they will turn from their evil way: for great is the wrath and the anger of the Lord, which he has pronounced against this people.
8 Then came the worde of the Lord vnto Ieremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
And Baruch did according to all that Jeremias commanded him—reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.
9 Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the claie in the bricke kill, which is at the entrie of Pharaohs house in Tanpanhes in ye sight of the men of Iudah,
And it came to pass in the eighth year of king Joakim, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem, and the house of Juda, proclaimed a fast before the Lord.
10 And say vnto them, Thus sayeth the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, Beholde, I will sende and bring Nebuchad-nezzar the King of Babel my seruant, and will set his throne vpon these stones that I haue hid, and he shall spread his pauilion ouer them.
And Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremias in the house of the Lord, in the house of Gamarias son of Saphan the scribe, in the upper court, in the entrance of the new gate of the house of the Lord, and in the ears of all the people.
11 And when he shall come, he shall smite the land of Egypt: such as are appoynted for death, to death, and such as are for captiuitie, to captiuitie, and such as are for the sword to the sword.
And Michaeas the son of Gamarias the son of Saphan heard all the words of the Lord, out of the book.
12 And I wil kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burne them and carie them away captiues, and he shall aray himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepheard putteth on his garment, and shall depart from thence in peace.
And he went down to the king's house, into the house of the scribe: and, behold, there were sitting there all the princes, Elisama the scribe, and Dalaeas the son of Selemias, and Jonathan the son of Acchobor, and Gamarias the son of Saphan, and Sedekias the son of Ananias, and all the princes.
13 He shall breake also ye images of Beth-shemesh, that is in the lande of Egypt, and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burne with fire.
And Michaeas reported to them all the words which he had heard Baruch reading in the ears of the people.
And all the princes sent to Baruch son of Nerias Judin the son of Nathanias, the son of Selemias, the son of Chusi, saying, Take in your hand the roll in which you read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch took the roll, and went down to them.
And they said to him, Read [it] again in our ears. And Baruch read [it].
And it came to pass, when they [had] heard all the words, [that] they took counsel each with his neighbour, and said, Let us by all means tell the king all these words.
And they asked Baruch, saying, Where did you write all these words?
And Baruch said, Jeremias told me from his [own] mouth all these words, and I wrote them in a book.
And they said to Baruch, Go, and hide, you and Jeremias; let no man know where you [are].
And they went in to the king into the court, and gave the roll [to one] to keep in the house of Elisama; and they told the king all these words.
And the king sent Judin to fetch the roll: and he took it out of the house of Elisama: and Judin read in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood round the king.
Now the king was sitting in the winter house: and [there was] a fire on the hearth before him.
And it came to pass when Judin had read three or four leaves, he cut them off with a penknife, and cast [them] into the fire that was on the hearth, until the whole roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
And the king and his servants that heard all these words sought not [the Lord], and tore not their garments.
But Elnathan and Godolias suggested to the king that he should burn the roll.
And the king commanded Jeremeel the king's son, and Saraeas the son of Esriel, to take Baruch and Jeremias: but they were hidden.
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, after the king had burnt the roll, [even] all the words which Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremias, saying,
Again take you another roll, and write all the words that were on the roll, which king Joakim has burnt.
And you shall say, Thus says the Lord; You have burnt this roll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come in, and destroy this land, and man and cattle shall fail from off it?
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Joakim king of Juda; He shall not have [a man] to sit on the throne of David: and his carcass shall be cast forth in the heat by day, and in the frost by night.
And I will visit him, and his family, and his servants: and I will bring upon him, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the land of Juda, all the evils which I spoke of to them; and they listened not.
And Baruch took another roll, and wrote upon it from the mouth of Jeremias all the words of the book which Joakim had burnt: and there were yet more words added to it like the former.

< Jeremiah 43 >