1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD:
2 "Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the house of the LORD, and speak to all the towns of Judah that come to bow down in the house of the LORD all the words I command you to speak to them; do not leave out a word.
3 It may be they will listen and turn, each from his evil way, and I will relent of the evil I am planning to do to them for the evil of their deeds.
4 Say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: If you do not listen to me by walking in my law, which I have put before you,
5 by listening to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, rising early and sending them, though you have not listened,
6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the earth.'"
7 The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD.
8 When Jeremiah had finished speaking everything the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests, the prophets and all the people took hold of him and said, "You will surely die!
9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be laid waste, with no one living in it?" And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
10 When the officials of Judah heard of these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the LORD and took their seats at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of the LORD.
11 The priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, "A sentence of death for this man! For he has prophesied against this city, as you heard with your ears."
12 Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, "It is the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard.
13 So now, improve your ways and your doings and listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will relent of the evil he has spoken against you.
14 As for me, look, I am in your hand; do to me what is good and right in your eyes.
15 But know for sure that if you kill me, you are putting innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and on its inhabitants; for truly the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "No sentence of death for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God."
17 Some men from among the elders of the land stood up and said to the whole assembly of the people,
18 "Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the house high places of a forest.'
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the face of the LORD, so that the LORD relented of the evil he had spoken against them? But we are doing great evil against our own souls."
20 There was another man too who prophesied in the name of the LORD, Uriah the son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-jearim; he prophesied against this city and this land words just like all those of Jeremiah.
21 King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard his words, and the king sought to kill him; but Uriah heard, was afraid, fled and came to Egypt.
22 So King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, Elnathan the son of Achbor and men with him, into Egypt.
23 They brought Uriah out from Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, and he struck him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial ground of the common people.
24 However, the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to be killed.