Jeremiah Chapter 36
Showing all 32 verses for Jeremiah Chapter 36.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "
"This took place in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah (around 605 BC), when this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD."
I meet people in their actual circumstances and their actual moment in time, not in some abstract 'spiritual' realm. Wherever you are right now, in whatever year and situation, that's where I speak to you.
"Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. "
"Get a scroll and write on it everything I've told you — against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations — everything from when I first spoke to you back in Josiah's days right up to now."
I want my words to reach further than the moment they're spoken in. Write down what matters, keep records of the truth you've learned, so it can still help you — and others — on a harder day.
"It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. "
"Maybe when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I'm planning for them, each of them will turn back from their evil ways — and then I can forgive their guilt and their sin."
Even my toughest warnings come from love, not spite — I'd always rather you turn around than watch you walk into disaster. It's never too late to change course, and when you do, the door is open, not closed.
"Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. "
"So Jeremiah called for Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote down on a scroll everything the LORD had said, exactly as Jeremiah dictated it from memory."
You don't have to do everything alone. Find people you trust to help carry what matters — a shared task, faithfully done together, is no less honoured than a solitary one.
"And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD: "
"Jeremiah instructed Baruch, 'I'm restricted — I'm not allowed to go into the LORD's Temple.'"
Being blocked from doing something one way doesn't mean the mission is over — find another way, another voice, another door.
"Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’s house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. "
"'So you go instead, and read out loud from the scroll you wrote at my dictation — read the LORD's words to the people in the LORD's house on the fasting day, and also read them to everyone from the towns of Judah who comes into Jerusalem.'"
Timing matters. I meet people not just with the right words but at the right moment — when they're already paying attention, already searching, already open.
"It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. "
"'Maybe they'll bring their plea before the LORD and each of them will turn from their evil way — because the anger and fury the LORD has pronounced against this people is great.'"
I don't force anyone's hand. I lay out the stakes honestly, then wait to see what you'll do with the truth — because love that overrides your freedom to choose isn't really love at all.
"And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’s house. "
"And Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what Jeremiah the prophet told him to do — he read the LORD's words from the scroll, in the LORD's house."
Faithfulness often looks unremarkable from the outside — just doing exactly what you were asked, when you were asked. That quiet reliability is worth more than it looks.
"And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. "
"In the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, in the ninth month, the people proclaimed a fast before the LORD for everyone in Jerusalem and everyone who had come in from the towns of Judah."
Watch for the moments when people are already searching, already anxious, already asking bigger questions — those are the moments truth lands hardest and does the most good.
"Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house, in the ears of all the people. "
"Then Baruch read Jeremiah's words from the scroll in the LORD's house, in the room of Gemariah son of Shaphan the secretary, in the upper courtyard at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD's house, where all the people could hear."
Choosing the right setting and the right allies for a hard message isn't compromise — it's wisdom. How truth is delivered affects whether it's received.
"When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, "
"When Micaiah son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all the LORD's words read from the scroll,"
You never know which conversation, which moment of really listening, will end up mattering. Pay attention — sometimes the whole story turns on one person taking a message seriously.
"Then he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. "
"he went down to the king's palace, to the secretary's room, where all the officials were sitting — Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials."
Truth doesn't stay contained in one room. Something real and important tends to travel, to reach the people who have power to act on it, whether they want it to or not.
"Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. "
"Then Micaiah told them everything he had heard — all the words Baruch had read aloud to the people."
When you're the one carrying news to someone in power, carry it honestly, even if it's uncomfortable to deliver. Distorting truth to keep the peace helps no one in the end.
"Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. "
"So the officials sent Jehudi son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, 'Bring the scroll you read to the people, and come here.' So Baruch brought the scroll and came to them."
Good leadership listens before it reacts. Take the time to hear something out fully before deciding what it means or what to do about it — snap judgements usually cost more than they save.
"And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. "
"They said to him, 'Sit down and read it to us.' So Baruch read it to them."
Respect the process of really hearing someone out, even when what they're saying makes you uneasy. Dignity in how you listen matters as much as what you decide afterwards.
"Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. "
"When they had heard all the words, they turned to each other in fear and said to Baruch, 'We must certainly tell the king about all of this.'"
A healthy fear — the kind that makes you sit up and take a truth seriously — is not weakness. It's often the first honest response to something real, before pride or self-interest gets a chance to talk you out of it.
"And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? "
"Then they asked Baruch, 'Tell us — how did you come to write all these words? Was it straight from his mouth?'"
It's right to ask where a claim comes from before you build your response on it. Careful checking isn't the opposite of faith — it's part of taking truth seriously.
"Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. "
"Baruch answered them, 'He dictated all these words to me by mouth, and I wrote them down in ink, in the book.'"
When you're asked to account for what you've done, a plain, honest answer is enough. You don't need to dress up the truth to make it convincing.
"Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be. "
"Then the officials told Baruch, 'Go and hide — you and Jeremiah both. Don't let anyone know where you are.'"
When you see danger heading for someone doing the right thing, use whatever position you have to protect them, even in small ways. Courage isn't always loud — sometimes it's a quiet warning that saves a life.
"And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. "
"Then the officials went in to the king in the courtyard, but first they left the scroll safely in the room of Elishama the secretary, and reported everything to the king."
Wisdom sometimes means proceeding carefully, one step at a time, especially when you already suspect the outcome will be difficult.
"So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. "
"So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he brought it from Elishama the secretary's room. Jehudi read it aloud to the king and to all the officials standing around him."
Everyone eventually faces the truth directly, stripped of intermediaries — what matters most is what you do in that moment, not how long you managed to avoid it.
"Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. "
"Now the king was sitting in his winter apartment — it was the ninth month — with a fire burning in the brazier in front of him."
Comfort can be dangerous when it makes you deaf to warnings that matter. Don't let your own ease become the reason you refuse to hear something you need to hear.
"And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. "
"As Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the fire on the brazier, until the whole scroll was burned up in the flames."
Destroying the messenger, or the message, doesn't destroy the truth itself — it only shows what's really in someone's heart. Rejecting a hard truth never actually makes it stop being true.
"Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. "
"Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words showed any fear, or tore their clothes in grief."
How you respond to hard truth reveals who you really are. A humble, open heart lets a hard word break through; a hardened one just shrugs it off — and that hardness is its own kind of danger.
"Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. "
"Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he wouldn't listen to them."
Speaking up for what's right, even when you know you might not be listened to, still matters. Your voice against wrongdoing counts, even if it doesn't win that day.
"But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them. "
"Instead, the king ordered Jerahmeel (a member of the royal family), Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet — but the LORD hid them."
When you're doing what's right and it puts you at risk, you are never as exposed as it feels. There is a protection over faithful people that outlasts the anger of those who oppose them.
"Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, "
"After the king had burned the scroll — with all the words Baruch had written down from Jeremiah's mouth — the LORD's message came to Jeremiah again, saying:"
A setback isn't the end of the story. When something you've worked for is destroyed or dismissed, that's often the very moment to begin again, not to give up.
"Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. "
"'Get another scroll, and write on it all the same words that were in the first scroll — the one Jehoiakim king of Judah burned.'"
What's true doesn't depend on any one physical copy, any one platform, any one chance to be heard. If one door closes on the truth, it will find another way through.
"And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? "
"'And say to Jehoiakim king of Judah: This is what the LORD says — You burned this scroll, saying, Why did you write in it that the king of Babylon will surely come and destroy this land, wiping out both people and animals?'"
Burning the message never changes the facts on the ground. If you find yourself trying to silence a warning because you don't like what it says, ask honestly whether the problem is the warning — or what it's warning you about.
"Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. "
"'Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no descendant sitting on David's throne, and his own dead body will be thrown out, exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.'"
What you sow, you reap — not as arbitrary punishment, but as the natural outworking of the choices you make. Treat truth with contempt, and contempt tends to be what eventually comes back around.
"And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. "
"'I will punish him, his descendants, and his officials for their guilt. I will bring on them, on everyone living in Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah, all the disaster I have pronounced against them — because they would not listen.'"
Consequences rarely fall on just one person; the choices of those with power ripple out to everyone around them. That's exactly why listening — really listening, and letting it change you — matters so much, for leaders most of all.
"Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words. "
"So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, son of Neriah, who wrote on it — again from Jeremiah's dictation — everything from the book that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned. And many more similar words were added to it besides."
Try to stamp something true out of existence, and often you only end up giving it more room to grow. Don't be afraid that silencing or rejection is the last word — it rarely is.