34 The word that occurred to Jeremiah from Jehovah, when Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon and all his military force and all the kingdoms of the earth, the dominion under his hand, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and against all her cities, saying:

2 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘Go, and you must say to Zedekiah the king of Judah, yes, you must say to him: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he must burn it with fire. 3 And you yourself will not escape out of his hand, because you will without fail be caught and into his hand you will be given. And your own eyes will see even the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his own mouth will speak even with your mouth, and to Babylon you will come.’ 4 However, hear the word of Jehovah, O Zedekiah king of Judah, ‘This is what Jehovah has said concerning you: “You will not die by the sword. 5 In peace you will die; and as with the burnings for your fathers, the former kings who happened to be prior to you, so they will make a burning for you, and ‘Alas, O master!’ is what they will say in lament for you, for ‘I myself have spoken the very word,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”’”’”

6 And Jeremiah the prophet proceeded to speak to Zedekiah the king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem, 7 when the military forces of the king of Babylon were fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left remaining, against Lachish and against Azekah; for they, the fortified cities, were the ones that remained over among the cities of Judah.

8 The word that occurred to Jeremiah from Jehovah after King Zedekiah concluded a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim to them liberty, 9 to let each one his manservant and each one his maidservant, Hebrew man and Hebrew woman, go free, in order not to use them as servants, that is, a Jew, who is his brother. 10 So all the princes obeyed, and all the people who had entered into the covenant to let each one his manservant and each one his maidservant go free, in order to use them no more as servants, and they proceeded to obey and to let [them] go. 11 But they turned about after that and began to bring back the menservants and the maidservants whom they had let go free, and they went subjecting them as menservants and as maidservants. 12 Consequently the word of Jehovah occurred to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying:

13 “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘I myself concluded a covenant with YOUR forefathers in the day of my bringing them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servants, saying: 14 “At the end of seven years YOU men should let go each one his brother, a Hebrew man, who came to be sold to you and who has served you six years; and you must let him go free from being with you.” But YOUR forefathers did not listen to me, neither did they incline their ear. 15 And YOU yourselves turn around today and do what is upright in my eyes in proclaiming liberty each one to his companion, and YOU conclude a covenant before me in the house upon which my name has been called. 16 Then YOU turn back and profane my name and bring back each one his manservant and each one his maidservant, whom YOU let go free agreeably to their soul, and YOU subject them to become YOUR menservants and maidservants.’

17 “Therefore this is what Jehovah has said, ‘YOU yourselves have not obeyed me in keeping on proclaiming liberty each one to his brother and each one to his companion. Here I am proclaiming to YOU a liberty,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine, and I shall certainly give YOU for a quaking to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will give the men sidestepping my covenant, in that they did not carry out the words of the covenant that they concluded before me [with] the calf that they cut in two that they might pass between its pieces; 19 [namely,] the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the court officials and the priests and all the people of the land who went passing between the pieces of the calf— 20 yes, I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those seeking for their soul; and their dead bodies must become food for the flying creatures of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah the king of Judah and his princes I shall give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those seeking for their soul and into the hand of the military forces of the king of Babylon who are withdrawing from against YOU men.’

22 “‘Here I am commanding,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and I shall certainly bring them back to this city, and they must fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire; and the cities of Judah I shall make a desolate waste without an inhabitant.’”

35 The word that occurred to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, saying: 2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites, and you must speak with them and bring them into the house of Jehovah, to one of the dining rooms; and you must give them wine to drink.”

3 So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah the son of Habazziniah and his brothers, and all his sons, and all the household of the Rechabites, 4 and I proceeded to bring them into the house of Jehovah, to the dining room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of the [true] God, which was beside the dining room of the princes that was above the dining room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum the doorkeeper. 5 Then I put before the sons of the house of the Rechabites cups full of wine and goblets and said to them: “Drink wine.”

6 But they said: “We shall drink no wine, because Jonadab the son of Rechab, our forefather, was the one that laid the command upon us, saying, ‘YOU must drink no wine, neither YOU nor YOUR sons, to time indefinite. 7 And no house must YOU build, and no seed must YOU sow; and no vineyard must YOU plant, nor must it come to be YOURS. But in tents YOU should dwell all YOUR days, in order that YOU may keep living many days upon the surface of the ground where YOU are residing as aliens.’ 8 So we keep obeying the voice of Jehonadab the son of Rechab our forefather in everything that he commanded us by drinking no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons and our daughters, 9 and by not building houses for us to dwell in, so that no vineyard or field or seed should become ours. 10 And we keep dwelling in tents and obeying and doing according to all that Jonadab our forefather commanded us. 11 But it came about when Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon came up against the land that we began to say, ‘Come, and let us enter into Jerusalem because of the military force of the Chaldeans and because of the military force of the Syrians, and let us dwell in Jerusalem.’”

12 And the word of Jehovah proceeded to occur to Jeremiah, saying: 13 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘Go, and you must say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “Did YOU not continually receive exhortation to obey my words?” is the utterance of Jehovah. 14 “There has been a carrying out of the words of Jehonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, to drink no wine, and they have drunk none down to this day, because they have obeyed the commandment of their forefather. And as for me, I have spoken to YOU men, rising up early and speaking, but YOU have not obeyed me. 15 And I kept sending to YOU all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending [them], saying, ‘Turn back, please, each one from his bad way, and make YOUR dealings good, and do not walk after other gods to serve them. And keep dwelling on the ground that I have given to YOU and to YOUR forefathers.’ But YOU did not incline YOUR ear, nor did YOU listen to me. 16 But the sons of Jehonadab the son of Rechab have carried out the commandment of their forefather that he commanded them; but as for this people, they have not listened to me.”’”

17 “Therefore this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘Here I am bringing upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the calamity that I have spoken against them, for the reason that I have spoken to them but they did not listen, and I kept calling to them but they did not answer.’”

18 And to the household of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, ‘For the reason that YOU have obeyed the commandment of Jehonadab YOUR forefather and continue keeping all his commandments and doing according to all that he commanded YOU, 19 therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “There will not be cut off from Jonadab the son of Rechab a man to stand before me always.”’”

36 Now it came about in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, that this word occurred to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying: 2 “Take for yourself a roll of a book, and you must write in it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and against Judah and against all the nations, since the day that I spoke to you, since the days of Josiah, clear down to this day. 3 Perhaps those of the house of Judah will listen to all the calamity that I am thinking of doing to them, to the end that they may return, each one from his bad way, and that I may actually forgive their error and their sin.”

4 And Jeremiah proceeded to call Baruch the son of Neriah that Baruch might write at the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Jehovah that He had spoken to him, on the roll of the book. 5 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying: “I am shut up. I am unable to enter into the house of Jehovah. 6 And you yourself must enter in and read aloud from the roll that you have written at my mouth the words of Jehovah in the ears of the people at the house of Jehovah in the day of fast; and also in the ears of all Judah who are coming in from their cities you should read them aloud. 7 Perhaps their request for favor will fall before Jehovah and they will return, each one from his bad way, for great is the anger and the rage that Jehovah has spoken against this people.”

8 And Baruch the son of Neriah proceeded to do according to all that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him, to read aloud from the book the words of Jehovah at the house of Jehovah.

9 Now it came about in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem and all the people that were coming in from the cities of Judah into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before Jehovah. 10 And Baruch began to read aloud from the book the words of Jeremiah at the house of Jehovah, in the dining room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the copyist, in the upper courtyard, at the entrance of the new gate of the house of Jehovah, in the ears of all the people.

11 And Micaiah the son of Gemariah the son of Shaphan got to hear all the words of Jehovah from out of the book. 12 At that he went down to the house of the king, to the dining room of the secretary, and, look! there is where all the princes were sitting, Elishama the secretary 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 other princes. 13 And Micaiah proceeded to tell them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read aloud from the book in the ears of the people.

14 Then all the princes sent out to Baruch Jehudi the son of Nethaniah the son of Shelemiah the son of Cushi, saying: “The roll from which you read aloud in the ears of the people—take it in your hand and come.” Accordingly Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand and came in to them. 15 Then they said to him: “Sit down, please, and read it aloud in our ears.” So Baruch read aloud in their ears.

16 Now it came about that as soon as they heard all the words, they looked at one another in dread; and they proceeded to say to Baruch: “We shall without fail tell the king all these words.” 17 And Baruch they asked, saying: “Tell us, please, How did you write all these words from his mouth?” 18 Then Baruch said to them: “Out of his mouth he kept declaring to me all these words, and I was writing in the book with ink.” 19 Finally the princes said to Baruch: “Go, conceal yourself, you and Jeremiah, so that no one at all will know where YOU men are.”

20 Then they came in to the king, to the courtyard, and the roll they entrusted to the dining room of Elishama the secretary; and they began to tell all the words in the ears of the king.

21 So the king sent Jehudi out to get the roll. Accordingly he got it out of the dining room of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi began to read it aloud in the ears of the king and in the ears of all the princes standing by the king. 22 And the king was sitting in the winter house, in the ninth month, with a brazier burning before him. 23 Then it came about that as soon as Jehudi had read three or four page-columns, he proceeded to tear it apart with the secretary’s knife, pitching [it] also into the fire that was in the brazier until all the roll ended up in the fire that was in the brazier. 24 And they felt no dread; neither did the king and all his servants, who were listening to all these words, rip their garments apart. 25 And even Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah themselves pleaded with the king not to burn the roll, but he did not listen to them. 26 Further, the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of the king and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to get Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet. But Jehovah kept them concealed.

27 And the word of Jehovah occurred further to Jeremiah after the king had burned up the roll with the words that Baruch had written at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying: 28 “Take again for yourself a roll, another one, and write on it all the first words that proved to be on the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned up. 29 And against Jehoiakim the king of Judah you should say, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: “You yourself have burned up this roll, saying, ‘Why is it that you have written on it, saying: “The king of Babylon will come without fail and will certainly bring this land to ruin and cause man and beast to cease from it”?’ 30 Therefore this is what Jehovah has said against Jehoiakim the king of Judah, ‘He will come to have no one sitting upon the throne of David, and his own dead body will become something thrown out to the heat by day and to the frost by night. 31 And I will call to account against him and against his offspring and against his servants their error, and I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the men of Judah all the calamity that I have spoken against them, and they did not listen.’”’”

32 And Jeremiah himself took another roll and then gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the secretary, who proceeded to write upon it at the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book that Jehoiakim the king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added to them many more words like those.