Yirmeyah 36

1. And it came to pass in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, that this Davar came unto Yirmeyah from Hashem, saying,

2. Take thee megilat sefer (scroll book), and write therein all the Devarim that I have spoken unto thee against Yisroel, and against Yehudah, and against kol HaGoyim, from the day I spoke unto thee, from the yamim of Yoshiyah, even unto this day.

3. It may be that Bais Yehudah will hear all the ra’ah (disaster, evil) which I purpose to do unto them; that they may turn every ish from his derech hara’ah; that I may forgive their avon and their chattat.

4. Then Yirmeyah called Baruch Ben Neriyah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Yirmeyah all the Divrei Hashem, which he spoke unto him, upon a megilat sefer.

5. And Yirmeyah commanded Baruch, saying, I am atzur (restricted, barred); I cannot go into Bais Hashem;

6. Therefore go thou, and read from the megilah, which thou hast written from my mouth, the Divrei Hashem in the oznayim (ears) of HaAm in the Bais Hashem on the yom tzom; and also thou shalt read them in the oznayim of all Yehudah that will be coming from their towns.

7. It may be they will present their techinnah (supplication) before Hashem, and they will turn every ish from his derech hara’ah; for gadol is the anger and the wrath that Hashem hath pronounced against HaAm Hazeh.

8. And Baruch Ben Neriyah did according to all that Yirmeyah HaNavi commanded him, reading the Sefer Divrei Hashem in the Bais Hashem.

9. And it came to pass in the fifth year of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a tzom before Hashem to kol HaAm in Yerushalayim, and to kol HaAm that came from the towns of Yehudah unto Yerushalayim.

10. Then Baruch read from the Sefer the Divrei Yirmeyah in the Bais Hashem, in the lishkah (chamber) of Gemaryah Ben Shaphan the sofer, in the khatzer haelyon, at the Petach Sha’ar HeChadash of Bais Hashem, in oznayim kol HaAm.

11. When Michayah Ben Gemaryah, Ben Shaphan, had heard kol Divrei Hashem out of the Sefer,

12. Then he went down into the Bais HaMelech, into the lishkah of the sofer, and, hinei, all the sarim sat there, even Elishama the sofer, and Delayahu Ben Shemayahu, and Elnatan Ben Achbor, and Gemaryah Ben Shaphan, and the sarim (officials).

13. Then Michayah declared unto them all the Devarim that he had heard, when Baruch read the Sefer in the oznayim of HaAm.

14. Therefore all the sarim sent Yehudi Ben Netanyahu Ben Shelemyah Ben Cushi unto Baruch, saying, Bring in thine yad the megilah wherein thou hast read in the oznayim of HaAm, and come. So Baruch Ben Neriyah took the megilah in his yad, and came unto them.

15. And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in ozneinu (our ears). So Baruch read it in their oznayim.

16. Now it came to pass, when they had heard kol haDevarim, they were afraid [looking fearfully] one to the other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell HaMelech of all these Devarim.

17. And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these Devarim at his peh (mouth [Jeremiah’s dictation])?

18. Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these Devarim unto me with his peh (mouth, dictation) and I wrote them with dyo (ink) in the Sefer.

19. Then said the sarim unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Yirmeyah; and let no ish have da’as of where ye be.

20. And they went into the khatzer HaMelech, but they laid up the megilah in the lishka of Elishama the Sofer, and told all the Devarim in the oznayim of HaMelech.

21. So HaMelech sent Yehudi to bring the megilah; and he brought it out the lishka of Elishama the sofer. And Yehudi read it in the oznayim of HaMelech, and in the oznayim of all the sarim which Tzidkiyah Ben Chananyahu, and all stood beside HaMelech.

22. Now HaMelech sat in the Bais Hakhoref (Winter House) in the ninth month [Kislev]; and there was an akh (fireplace) burning before him.

23. And it came to pass, that when Yehudi had read three or four delatot (columns), he cut it with a ta’ar hasofer (razor of a scribe), and cast it into the eish that was in the akh (fireplace), until all the megilah was consumed in the eish that was in the akh (fireplace).

24. Yet they were not afraid, nor tore their begadim, neither HaMelech, nor any of his avadim that heard all these Devarim.

25. Nevertheless Elnatan and Delayahu and Gemaryah had made intercession to HaMelech that he would not burn the megilah; but he would not heed them.

26. HaMelech ordered that Yerachme’el Ben Hammelech, Serayah Ben Azriel, and Shelemyah Ben Avde’el, arrest Baruch HaSofer and Yirmeyah HaNavi; but Hashem hid them.

27. Then the Devar Hashem came to Yirmeyah, after that HaMelech had burned the megilah, and the Devarim which Baruch wrote at the peh of Yirmeyah, saying,

28. Shuv (turn) and take thee again another megilah, and write on it all the Devarim HaRishonim (former words) that were in the Megilah HaRishonah, which Y’hoyakim Melech Yehudah hath burned.

29. And thou shalt say to Y’hoyakim Melech Yehudah, Thus saith Hashem: Thou hast burned this megilah, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, Melech Bavel shall certainly come and destroy HaAretz Hazot, and shall cause to cease from it adam and behemah?

30. Therefore thus saith Hashem of Y’hoyakim Melech Yehudah: He shall have none to sit upon the kisse Dovid; and his nevelah (dead body) shall be cast out in the chorev (heat, drought) of the yom, and in the kerakh (ice, frost) of the lailah.

31. And I will visit him [for punishment] and his zera and his avadim for their avon; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and upon the Ish Yehudah, all the ra’ah (disaster, evil) that I have pronounced against them; yet they did not pay heed.

32. Then took Yirmeyah another megilah, and gave it to Baruch Ben Neriyah, HaSofer, who wrote therein from the peh of Yirmeyah all the Divrei HaSefer which Y’hoyakim Melech Yehudah had burned in eish; and there were added besides unto them many similar Devarim.