38 Jeremiah 21-36: A Translation- More on the Scroll's First Reading (36:9-26)
36 9 And it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of
Judah, in the ninth month, they called a fast before Yahweh-all the people
in Jerusalem and all the people who had come in from the cities of Judah-in
Jerusalem.^10 And Baruch read aloud from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in
the house of Yahweh-in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan, the
scribe, in the upper court at the opening of the New Gate in the house of
Yahweh-in the hearing of all the people. llAnd Micaiah son of Gemariah,
son of Shaphan, heard all the words of Yahweh from the scroll.^12 And he went
down to the house of the king, to the chamber of the scribe, and look! there
all the princes were sitting: Elishama, the scribe, and Delaiah son of Shema-
iah, and Elnathan son of Achbor, and Gemariah son of Shaphan, and Zede-
kiah son of Hananiah, yes, all the princes.^13 And Micaiah told them all the
words that he had heard when Baruch read aloud the scroll in the hearing of
the people.^14 And all the princes sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of
Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, 'The roll that you read aloud in
the hearing of the people-take it in your hand and come.' So Baruch son of
Neriah took the roll in his hand and came in to them.^15 And they said to him,
'Do sit down, and read it aloud in our hearing.' And Baruch read it aloud in
their hearing.^16 And it happened when they heard all the words, they turned
trembling one to another and said to Baruch, 'We must surely tell the king all
these words.'^17 And they asked Baruch: 'Tell us, would you, how did you write
all these words, from his dictation?'^18 And Baruch said to them, 'From his dic-
tation; he would proclaim all these words to me and I would write upon the
scroll in ink.'^19 And the princes said to Baruch, 'Go, hide yourself, you and
Jeremiah, so that no one may know where you are!'^20 And they went in to the
king, to the court, but the roll they deposited in the chamber of Elishama, the
scribe. And they told in the hearing of the king all these words.^21 And the king
sent Jehudi to take the roll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama, the
scribe, and Jehudi read it aloud in the hearing of the king and in the hearing
of all the princes who were standing beside the king.^22 And the king was sit-
ting in the winter house, in the ninth month, and a fire in the stove was burn-
ing before him.^23 And it happened as Jehudi proclaimed three or four
columns, he would tear it with the scribe's knife and would throw it into the
fire that was in the stove, until the entire roll was consumed on the fire that
was in the stove.^24 And they did not tremble, and they did not tear their gar-
ments-the king and all his servants who were hearing all these words.
(^25) However, Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah strongly urged the king not
to burn the roll, but he did not listen to them.^26 And the king commanded
Jerahmeel, the king's son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of
Abdeel to seize Baruch, the scribe, and Jeremiah, the prophet, but Yahweh
hid them.