1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying, 2Thus 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: 3If 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. 4And 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, 5To 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; 6Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
7So 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. 9Why 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.26.10 in the…: or, at the door 11Then 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.26.11 This man…: Heb. The judgment of death is for this man
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. 13Therefore 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. 14As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.26.14 as…: Heb. as it is good and right in your eyes 15But 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. 17Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18Micah 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. 19Did 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.26.19 the LORD, and the: Heb. the face of the LORD, etc 20And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: 21And 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; 22And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt. 23And 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.26.23 common…: Heb. sons of the people 24Nevertheless 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.
耶利米被捕
1猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬執政初期，耶和華對耶利米說： 2「這是耶和華說的，『你要站在我殿的院子裡，把我吩咐你的話一字不漏地告訴從猶大各城前來敬拜的人。 3或許他們會聽從我的話，改邪歸正，那樣我會施憐憫，取消原本用來懲治他們罪惡的災禍。 4你要告訴他們，耶和華這樣說，「如果你們不聽從我的話，不遵行我賜給你們的律法， 5不聽從我屢次派我的僕人——眾先知傳給你們的話， 6我必使這殿像示羅一樣被毀，使耶路撒冷被萬國咒詛。」』」
7祭司、先知和民眾都聽見了耶利米在耶和華的殿裡說的這些話。 8耶利米傳達完耶和華的話之後，祭司、先知和民眾就抓住他，說：「你真該死！ 9你為什麼奉耶和華的名預言這殿必像示羅一樣被毀，這城必要荒無人煙呢？」於是，他們在耶和華的殿裡把耶利米圍了起來。
10猶大的首領得知後，就離開王宮，上到耶和華的殿，坐在耶和華殿新門的入口。 11祭司和先知對官員和民眾說：「這人該被處死！因為他預言這城要被毀，這是你們親耳聽到的。」
12耶利米對官員和民眾說：「你們剛才聽見的這些關於這殿和這城的預言都是耶和華差我說的。 13你們要改邪歸正，聽從你們上帝耶和華的話，這樣耶和華必施憐憫，取消本來要降給你們的災禍。 14至於我，我已落在你們手中，你們認為怎樣好就怎樣待我吧！ 15不過，你們要知道，如果你們置我於死地，你們和這城及城中的居民必擔當濫殺無辜的罪，因為確實是耶和華派我來告訴你們這些預言的。」
16官員和民眾便對祭司和先知說：「這人不該被處死，因為他是奉我們上帝耶和華的名對我們說話。」 17有幾個長老站起來對眾人說： 18「猶大王希西迦執政期間，摩利沙人彌迦對猶大眾人預言說，
『萬軍之耶和華說錫安必被夷為平地，
耶路撒冷必淪為廢墟，
聖殿山要成為一片荒林。』
19「但猶大王希西迦和猶大眾人並沒有處死他。希西迦敬畏耶和華，求祂開恩，耶和華才施憐憫，沒有把原本預備的災禍降給他們。若處死這人，我們會大禍臨頭。」
20當時，基列·耶琳人示瑪雅的兒子烏利亞也奉耶和華的名預言這城和這地方將被毀，內容與耶利米說的一樣。 21約雅敬王和他的王公大臣聽見烏利亞的話，就想處死他。烏利亞得知後，嚇得逃到埃及去了。 22約雅敬王便派亞革波的兒子以利拿單率隨從去埃及捉拿他。 23他們把烏利亞從埃及押到約雅敬王面前，王用刀殺了他，把屍首拋在平民的墳地中。 24然而，沙番的兒子亞希甘保護耶利米，他才沒被交給民眾處死。
