Jeremiah 26:1-11

YAHWEH spoke these words to Jeremiah at the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. YAHWEH said to me, “Stand in the court of my house, the temple, and announce what I tell you to say to the crowds coming to worship me from the cities of Judah. Do not leave out anything or hold back a word. Perhaps they will listen, and they will all turn from their evil ways. If so, I will relent and not bring the impending disaster I have planned for them because of their evil deeds. “Give them this warning: ‘YAHWEH says: If you will not listen to me and obey the instructions that I have given you or heed the words of my servants the prophets, whom I keep sending to you even though you have not obeyed them, then I will make this temple into a pile of ruins just like I did to Shiloh. This city will become a worldwide object of cursing.’ ” The priests, prophets, and all the people heard what Jeremiah said in the temple court of YAHWEH. When Jeremiah had finished speaking the message YAHWEH had ordered him to give to the people, all the priests, prophets, and people forcefully seized him and said, “You ought to be killed for this! Why have you prophesied in YAHWEH’s name, ‘This temple will become a pile of ruins like Shiloh, and Jerusalem become an uninhabited ruin?’ ” Then a mob formed and ganged up against Jeremiah in the temple court of YAHWEH. Upon hearing about this, the leaders of Judah went up from the royal palace to the temple of YAHWEH and took their seats to hold court at the gate of YAHWEH’s temple. Then the priests and prophets said to the leaders and all the people, “This man deserves to die, since he has prophesied horrible things against this city, which you yourselves have heard.”