Jeremiah 26:1-24
26 Early in the reign of Jehojakim the son of Josiah as king of Judah this word came from Jehovah:
2 Says Jehovah, Stand in the court of Jehovah’s house and speak to all the cities of Judah that come in to do reverence in Jehovah’s house all the words I have commanded you to speak to them; do not subtract a word;
3 maybe they will listen and turn back from their wicked courses and I shall repent of the harm I am planning to do to them for the wickedness of their practices.
4 And say to them “Says Jehovah, If you do not listen to me, going by my instructions that I have put before you,
5 listening to the words of my servants the prophets whom I am sending to you, each one early, but you have not listened,
6 I will make this house like Shiloh and make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.”
7 And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in Jehovah’s house;
8 and when Jeremiah finished speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people arrested him, saying “You shall die;
9 how came you to prophesy in Jehovah’s name ‘This house shall become like Shiloh and this city shall be laid waste to have no inhabitant’?” and all the people assembled at Jehovah’s house where Jeremiah was.
10 And the generals of Judah heard these things and came up from the king’s house to Jehovah’s and took their seats at Jehovah’s new gate.
11 And the priests and prophets said to the generals and to all the people “It is a case for a sentence of death on this man, because he has prophesied to this city such things as you have heard with your own ears.”
12 * And Jeremiah said to all the generals and all the people “Jehovah sent me to prophesy to this house and this city all the things you have heard;
13 now mend your ways and practices and obey your God Jehovah, and Jehovah will repent of the harm he has threatened you with.
14 And as for me, here I am in your hands: do to me as you think best and fittest;
15 only you must know that if you are going to put me to death you make yourselves and this city and its inhabitants responsible for the shedding of innocent blood, because Jehovah did in truth send me to you to utter all these things in your hearing.”
16 And the generals and all the people said to the priests and the prophets “It is no case for a sentence of death on this man, because it was in the name of our God Jehovah that he spoke to us.”
17 And some of the oldest inhabitants stood up and said to all the assembly of the people
18 * “Micajah the Morashtite was prophesying in the time of King Hezekiah of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah ‘Says Jehovah of Armies, Sion shall be plowed for field land, and Jerusalem shall be ruins and the Temple Mount a height of broken rocks and scrub trees.’
19 Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah put him to death? did they not fear Jehovah and propitiate Jehovah, and Jehovah repented of the harm he threatened them with? but we are going to do a great injury to our own persons.”
20 But there was also a man prophesying in Jehovah’s name, Urijah the son of Shemaʽjah from Kirjath-Jeʽarim, and he prophesied against this city and against this country just the same things as Jeremiah;
21 and King Jehojakim and all his champions and all the generals heard his words, and the king undertook to put him to death, and Urijah heard and was afraid and got away to Egypt.
22 * But King Jehojakim sent Elnathan the son of ʽAcbor and some men with him to Egypt,
23 * and they took Urijah out of Egypt and brought him to King Jehojakim, and he killed him with the sword and threw his carcass into the foundlings’ graveyard.
24 Only Jeremiah had the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with him to keep him from being given up to the people to put to death.
Footnotes
^ 26:12 Var. about this house and
^ 26:18 Var. There was Micajah the Morashtite in the time
^ 26:22 Codd. sent men to Egypt, Elnathan the son of ‘Acbor and some men with him to Egypt
^ 26:23 (last words) Unc.; lit. to the graves of the people’s children
