Jeremiah 26

Jeremiah Is Threatened

¹ In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, the following word came from the Lord.

⁴ You are also to say this to him.

⁷ The priests, the prophets, and all the people listened as Jeremiah spoke these words at the House of the Lord. ⁸ When Jeremiah had finished saying everything the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people, then the priests, the prophets, and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! ⁹ Why do you prophesy in the name of the Lord that this house will be like Shiloh and that this city will be desolate with no one living here?” All the people crowded around Jeremiah in the House of the Lord.

¹⁰ When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they came up from the king’s house to the House of the Lord and sat in the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.

¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death because he has been prophesying against this city, as you heard with your own ears.”

¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the things that you have heard. ¹³ Now reform your ways and your actions, and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring about the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ But as for me, look, I am in your hands. Do with me whatever seems good and right in your eyes. ¹⁵ But you can be certain of this. If you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live here, for it is true that the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

¹⁶ Then the officials and the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. He has spoken in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land got up and spoke to all the assembled people.

²⁰ (There had also been another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied against this city and against the land the same things that Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim, all his strong warriors, and all his officials heard his words, the king wanted to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt. ²² Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Akbor and some other men to Egypt. ²³ They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to death with a sword and had his body thrown into the grave of the common people.)

²⁴ But Ahikam son of Shaphan used his authority to protect Jeremiah, who was not handed over to the people to be put to death.