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Cities of Judah Warned

¹ In the beginning of the reign of ^(C1)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying,² "Thus says the LORD, '^(C1)Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have ^(C2)come to worship in the LORD'S house ^(C3)all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. ^(C4)Do not omit a word!³ '^(C1)Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that ^(C2)I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.'⁴ "And you will say to them, 'Thus says the LORD, "^(C1)If you will not listen to Me, to ^(C2)walk in My law which I have set before you,⁵ to listen to the words of ^(C1)My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you ^(F1)again and again, but you have not listened;⁶ then I will make this house like ^(C1)Shiloh, and this city I will make a ^(C2)curse to all the nations of the earth."'"

A Plot to Murder Jeremiah

⁷ The ^(C1)priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.⁸ When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, "^(C1)You must die!⁹ "Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD saying, 'This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be ^(C1)desolate, without inhabitant'?" And ^(C2)all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

¹⁰ When the ^(C1)officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the LORD and sat in the ^(C2)entrance of the New Gate of the LORD'S house.¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets ^(C1)spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, "A ^(C2)death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied ^(C3)against this city as you have heard in your hearing."

¹² Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, "^(C1)The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.¹³ "Now therefore ^(C1)amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will ^(F1)change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you.¹⁴ "But as for me, behold, ^(C1)I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight.¹⁵ "Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring ^(C1)innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and on its inhabitants; for truly the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."

Jeremiah Is Spared

¹⁶ Then the officials and all the people ^(C1)said to the priests and to the prophets, "No ^(C2)death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."¹⁷ Then ^(C1)some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,¹⁸ "^(F1)(C1)Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, 'Thus the LORD of hosts has said,

"^(C2)Zion will be plowed as a field,
And Jerusalem will become ruins,
And the ^(C3)mountain of the house as the ^(F2)high places of a forest."'

²⁰ Indeed, there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the LORD, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from ^(C1)Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah.²¹ When King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the officials heard his words, then the ^(C1)king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard it, and he was afraid and ^(C2)fled and went to Egypt.²² Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: ^(C1)Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him went into Egypt.²³ And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who ^(C1)slew him with a sword and cast his dead body into the ^(F1)burial place of the ^(F2)common people.

²⁴ But the hand of ^(C1)Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was ^(C2)not given into the hands of the people to put him to death.