1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from Yehovah, saying, 2Thus says Yehovah: Stand in the court of Yehovah’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in Yehovah’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not diminish a word. 3It may be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may relent of the evil which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their doings. 4And you shall say to them, Thus says Yehovah: If you 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 send to you, even rising up early and sending them, but you have not hearkened; 6then I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. 7And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Yehovah. 8And it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that Yehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, You shall surely die. 9Why have you prophesied in the name of Yehovah, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant? And all the people were gathered to Jeremiah in the house of Yehovah. 10And when the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of Yehovah; and they sat in the entry of the new gate of Yehovah’s house. 11Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy of death; for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears. 12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and to all the people, saying, Yehovah sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Yehovah your God; and Yehovah will relent of the evil that he has pronounced against you. 14But as for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as is good and right in your eyes. 15Only know for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon its inhabitants; for in truth Yehovah has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears. 16Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets: This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of Yehovah our God. 17Then certain of the elders of the land rose up, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus says Yehovah of hosts: Zion shall be plowed as 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 to death? did he not fear Yehovah, and entreat the favor of Yehovah, and Yehovah relented of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls. 20And there was also a man who prophesied in the name of Yehovah, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim; and he 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 Uriah 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 brought Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. 24But 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.