¹ In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, came this word from Yahweh saying:

² Thus, saith Yahweh,—Stand thou in the court of the house of Yahweh, and speak unto all the cities of Judah who are entering in to bow down in the house of Yahweh, all the words which I have commanded thee to speak unto them,—do not thou keep back a word:

³ Peradventure they will hear, and return every man from his wicked way,—and I shall repent as to the calamity which I am devising to execute upon them because of the wickedness of their doings:

⁴ Therefore shalt thou say unto them Thus, saith Yahweh,—If ye will not hearken unto me, To walk in my law which I have set before you;

⁵ To hearken unto the words of my servants the prophets, whom I am sending unto you, even, betimes, sending, though ye have not hearkened,

⁶ Then I will make this house like Shiloh,—And, this city, will I make a contempt to all the nations of the earth.

⁷ So the priests and the prophets, and all the people, heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Yahweh.

⁸ And it came to pass when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets, and all the people laid hold of him, saying—Thou shalt, surely die!

⁹ Why hast thou prophesied in the name of Yahweh, saying, Like Shiloh, shall this house become, And this city, shall be desolate, without inhabitant? And all the people, were gathered together unto Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh,

¹⁰ When the princes of Judah heard these things, then came they up out of the house of the king, unto the house of Yahweh,—and took their seats in the opening of the new gate of Yahweh.

¹¹ Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes, and unto all the people, saying,—Worthy of death, is this man, because he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your own ears,

¹² Then spake Jeremiah, unto all the princes and unto all the people, saying,—Yahweh, sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city, all the words that ye have heard.

¹³ Now, therefore amend your ways, and your doings, and hearken unto the voice of Yahweh your God,—that Yahweh may repent him, as to the calamity which he hath spoken concerning you.

¹⁴ But, I, behold me in your hand,—do with me as may be good and right in your eyes;

¹⁵ Only, ye must, know, that If, ye, do put me, to death, verily innocent blood, are ye laying upon yourselves, and against this city, and against her inhabitants,—for of a truth, did Yahweh send me unto you, to speak in your ears, all these words.

¹⁶ Then said the princes, and all the people, unto the priests and unto the prophets,—There is nothing in this man worthy of death, for in the name of Yahweh our God, hath he spoken unto us.

¹⁷ Then rose up men from among the elders of the land, and spake unto all the convocation of the people saying:

¹⁸ Micah the Morashtite, was prophesying, in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah,—and he spake unto all the people of Judah, saying, thus, saith Yahweh of hosts—Zion, as a field, shall be plowed, And, Jerusalem, into heaps of ruins, shall be turned, And, the mountain of the house, [be] like mounds in a jungle,

¹⁹ Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put, him to death? Did he not revere Yahweh, and appease the face of Yahweh? And did not Yahweh repent him, as to the calamity which he had spoken against them? We, therefore are doing a great wickedness against our own lives!

²⁰ There was however, a man, prophesying in the name of Yahweh, Urijah, son of Shemaiah, of Keriath-jearim,—who prophesied against this city, and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah.

²¹ And when King Jehoiakim, and all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death,—but Urijah heard, and feared and fled and entered Egypt.

²² Then did King Jehoiakim send men to Egypt,—even Elnathan son of Achbor, and certain men with him, into Egypt

²³ and they brought forth Urijah out of Egypt, and took him in unto King Jehoiakim, who smote him with the sword,—and cast out his dead body among the graves of the sons of the people.

²⁴ Howbeit the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan, turned out to be with Jeremiah,—so as not to give him up into the hand of the people, to put him to death.