Old Testament · Jeremiah

Jeremiah 26

A Warning to the Cities of Judah

1In beginning^a of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying, 2Thus said the LORD: Stand in the court of the house of the LORD, and you shall speak to all the cities of Judah who come to bow themselves in the house of the LORD all the words that I commanded you^b to speak to them; do not diminish a word. 3Perhaps they will hear and turn back, each man^c from his evil way, and I will relent concerning the evil that I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their doings.

4And you shall say to them: Thus said the LORD: If you will not hear Me, to walk in My Torah that I have set before you, 5to hear the words of My servants the prophets whom I am sending to you—rising early and sending—but you have not heard, 6then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth.

Jeremiah Threatened with Death

7And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. 8And it came to pass, when Jeremiah finished speaking all that the LORD commanded to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, You shall surely die. 9Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, Like Shiloh this house shall be, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant? And all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

10And the princes of Judah heard these words, and they went up from the house of the king to the house of the LORD, and they sat in the opening of the new gate of the LORD.

11And the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people, saying, A judgment^d of death is for this man, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.

12And Jeremiah spoke to all the princes 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. 13And now, make good your ways and your doings, and hear the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will relent concerning the evil that He has spoken against you. 14And I, behold, I am in your hand; do to me as is good and right in your eyes. 15Only know surely that if you are putting me to death, you are bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and upon her inhabitants; for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak in your ears all these words.

Jeremiah Spared from Death

16And the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, There is no judgment of death for this man, for in the name of the LORD our God he has spoken to us.

17And men of the elders of the land rose up, and they spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus said the LORD of hosts^e: Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as high places of a forest.

19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah surely put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the face of the LORD, and the LORD relented concerning the evil that He had spoken against them? And we are doing great evil against our souls^f.

The Prophet Uriah

20And there was also a man prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. 21And the king Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the princes heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death; and Uriah heard, and he feared, and he fled, and he came to Egypt.

22And the king Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt—Elnathan son of Achbor and men with him to Egypt. 23And they brought out Uriah from Egypt, and they brought him to the king Jehoiakim, and he struck him with the sword, and he cast his corpse to the graves of the sons of the people.

24Surely the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so as not to give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.