Jeremiah 26:1-24

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.” Then Jeremiah defended himself before all the leaders and the people, saying, “YAHWEH himself sent me to prophesy this message you have heard me speak against this temple and this city. But if you stop doing evil, change your ways, and obey the voice of YAHWEH your God, then YAHWEH will stop the impending disaster and relent of what he has decreed against you. As for me, I am in your hands. Do with me whatever seems right to you. Only be sure of this: if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its people, since YAHWEH has truly sent me to bring you the warning you have heard.” Then all the leaders and the people said to the priests and prophets, “This man does not deserve to die, for he has spoken to us in the name of YAHWEH our God.” And some of the elders of the nation then stood to address the crowd: “In the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, the prophet Micah of Moresheth prophesied to all the people of Judah, ‘YAHWEH, Commander of Angel Armies, declares: “ ‘Zion will be plowed under like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the Temple Mount will be covered with overgrowth.’ “Did King Hezekiah and the people of Judah sentence Micah to death for prophesying this? Did not the king rather fear YAHWEH, humble himself, and plead earnestly with him so that he relented of the disaster that he had decreed against them? Do we really want to bring a disaster upon ourselves with such a crime?” There was another prophet in those day who prophesied in YAHWEH’s name, Uriah son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath Jearim. He prophesied the same things against Judah and Jerusalem as Jeremiah. When King Jehoiakim and all his leaders and mighty men heard what Uriah prophesied, the king was determined to put him to death. On hearing this, he was afraid and escaped to Egypt. King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Achbor to Egypt with others, who brought Uriah back from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim. The king executed Uriah with the sword and had his body thrown into the common burial ground. Nevertheless Jeremiah escaped execution—but only because Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, protected him and would not allow him to be handed over to the furious crowd.