Jeremiah 26

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

At the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign, the LORD instructed Jeremiah to stand in the temple courtyard and warn the people of Judah to turn from their evil ways or face the destruction of the temple and city. Upon hearing this prophecy, the priests, prophets, and assembled people seized Jeremiah and demanded his death. When the officials of Judah came from the palace to investigate, Jeremiah defended himself by stating the LORD had sent him, prompting the officials and people to declare him innocent. Elders then referenced the historical precedent of the prophet Micah, who prophesied similarly under King Hezekiah without being executed, contrasting it with King Jehoiakim's recent killing of the prophet Uriah. Ultimately, the protection of Ahikam son of Shaphan prevented Jeremiah from being handed over to the crowd for execution.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: ²“This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the house of the LORD and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all the cities of Judah who come to worship there. Do not omit a word. ³Perhaps they will listen and turn—each from his evil way of life—so that I may relent of the disaster I am planning to bring upon them because of the evil of their deeds. ⁴And you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘If you do not listen to Me and walk in My law, which I have set before you, ⁵and if you do not listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have sent you again and again even though you did not listen, ⁶then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.’” ⁷Now the priests and prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD, ⁸and as soon as he had finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people seized him, shouting, “You must surely die! ⁹How dare you prophesy in the name of the LORD that this house will become like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted!” And all the people assembled against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. ¹⁰When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went up from the king’s palace to the house of the LORD and sat there at the entrance of the New Gate. ¹¹Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears!” ¹²But Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. ¹³So now, correct your ways and deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, so that He might relent of the disaster He has pronounced against you. ¹⁴As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. ¹⁵But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves, upon this city, and upon its residents; for truly the LORD has sent me to speak all these words in your hearing.” ¹⁶Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man is not worthy of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God!” ¹⁷Some of the elders of the land stood up and said to the whole assembly of the people, ¹⁸“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and told all the people of Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.’ ¹⁹Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did Hezekiah not fear the LORD and seek His favor, and did not the LORD relent of the disaster He had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great harm on ourselves!” ²⁰Now there was another man prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land the same things that Jeremiah did. ²¹King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and officials heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah found out about it, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. ²²Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor along with some other men. ²³They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. ²⁴Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

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Louis Segond 1910 and Berean Standard Bible: public domain. Cross references: open-cross-ref, Creative Commons BY 4.0.