Jeremiah Threatened With Death
26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying: 2 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the house of the Lord, and speak to all the cities of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not diminish a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their deeds. 4 You will say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, 5 to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I sent 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 And when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people took hold of him, saying, “You shall surely die. 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11 Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “This man deserves to die! For he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials 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 Therefore now amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent of the disaster that He has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, here 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 will surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and upon the inhabitants. For truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
Jeremiah Spared From Death
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man is not worthy of death. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: 18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of Hosts:
Zion shall be plowed like a field,
and Jerusalem shall become heaps,
and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.’
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the Lord, and the Lord relented of the disaster which He had pronounced against them? Thus we might procure great evil against ourselves.”
20 There was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. 21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard it, he was afraid and fled and went into Egypt. 22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt: namely, Elnathan the son of Akbor and certain men with him into Egypt. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and led him to Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, with the result that he was not given into the hands of the people to put him to death.
