| Chapter
26 |
| 1 | In the
beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this
word from the LORD, saying, |
| 2 |
Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak unto
all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD's house, all the
words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: |
| 3 | If so be they will hearken, and turn
every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose
to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. |
| 4 | And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith
the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set
before you, |
| 5 | To hearken
to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up
early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; |
|
6 | Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will
make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. |
| 7 | So the priests and the prophets and all
the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. |
| 8 | Now it came to pass, when
Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to
speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people
took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. |
| 9 | Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying,
This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an
inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of
the LORD. |
| 10 | When the
princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house
unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the
LORD's house. |
| 11 | Then
spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people,
saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as
ye have heard with your ears. |
| 12
| Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people,
saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city
all the words that ye have heard. |
|
13 | Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the
voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he
hath pronounced against you. |
| 14
| As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and
meet unto you. |
| 15 | But
know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent
blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof:
for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your
ears. |
| 16 | Then said the
princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is
not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our
God. |
| 17 | Then rose up
certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people,
saying, |
| 18 | Micah the
Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all
the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed
like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house
as the high places of a forest. |
|
19 | Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to
death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented
him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure
great evil against our souls. |
| 20
| And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD,
Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city
and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. |
| 21 | And when Jehoiakim the king, with all
his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put
him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into
Egypt; |
| 22 | And Jehoiakim
the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain
men with him into Egypt. |
| 23 |
And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim
the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves
of the common people. |
| 24 |
Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they
should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death. |
