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¹ In the beginning of the reigne of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah king of Iudah, came this word from the Lord, saying; ² Thus saith the Lord, Stand in the Court of the Lords house, and speake vnto all the cities of Iudah, which come to worship in the Lords house, all the wordes that I command thee to speake vnto them: diminish not a word; ³ If so bee they will hearken, and turne euery man from his euill way, that I may repent me of the euil which I purpose to doe vnto them, because of the euil of their doings. ⁴ And thou shalt say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord; If yee will not hearken to mee to walke in my Law, which I haue set before you, ⁵ To hearken to the wordes of my seruants the Prophets, whom I sent vnto you, both rising vp early and sending them, (but ye haue not hearkned:) ⁶ Then wil I make this house like Shiloh, and wil make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

⁷ So the priests and the prophets, and all the people heard Ieremiah speaking these wordes in the house of the Lord. ⁸ Now it came to passe when Ieremiah had made an ende of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speake vnto all the people, that the priests and the prophets, and all the people tooke him, saying; Thou shalt surely die. ⁹ Why hast thou prophecied in the Name of the Lord, saying, This house shalbe like Shiloh, and this city shalbe desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Ieremiah in the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ When the Princes of Iudah heard these things, then they came vp from the kings house vnto the house of the Lord, and sate downe in the entrie of the new gate of the Lords house. ¹¹ Then spake the priests and the prophets vnto the Princes, and to all the people, saying; This man is worthy to die, for he hath prophecied against this citie, as yee haue heard with your eares. ¹² Then spake Ieremiah vnto all the Princes, and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophecie against this house, and against this citie, all the wordes that yee haue heard. ¹³ Therefore nowe amend your wayes, and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent him of the euill that he hath pronounced against you. ¹⁴ As for mee, behold, I am in your hand: doe with mee as seemeth good and meet vnto you. ¹⁵ But know ye for certaine, That if ye put mee to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood vpon your selues, and vpon this citie, and vpon the inhabitants thereof: for of a trueth the Lord hath sent mee vnto you, to speake all these words in your eares.

¹⁶ Then said the Princes, and all the people, vnto the priests, and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for hee hath spoken to vs in the Name of the Lord our God. ¹⁷ Then rose vp certaine of the Elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying; ¹⁸ Micah the Morashite prophecied in the dayes of Hezekiah king of Iudah, and spake to all the people of Iudah, saying; Thus saith the Lord of hostes, Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Ierusalem shall become heapes, and the mountaine of the house, the hie places of a forrest. ¹⁹ Did Hezekiah King of Iudah and all Iudah put him at all to death? did hee not feare the Lord, and besought the Lord, and the Lord repented him of the euill which he had pronounced against them? thus might wee procure great euill against our soules. ²⁰ And there was also a man that prophecied in the Name of the Lord, Urijah the sonne of Shemaiah of Kiriath-iearim, who prophecied against this citie and against this land, according to all the words of Ieremiah. ²¹ And when Iehoiakim the king with all his mightie men, and all the princes heard his wordes, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled, and went into Egypt. ²² And Iehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely Elnathan the sonne of Achbor, and certeine men with him, into Egypt. ²³ And they fet foorth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him vnto Iehoiakim the king, who slewe him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graues of the common people. ²⁴ Neuerthelesse, the hand of Ahikam, the sonne of Shaphan, was with Ieremiah, that they should not giue him into the hand of the people, to put him to death.