American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Jeremiah 36
1
And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 25:1
2
Take you a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day.
Reference
3
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
Reference
Evil
Jeremiah 18:8
Jeremiah 26:3
Jeremiah 36:7
Jeremiah 18:11
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 30:2
Ezekiel 12:3
2 Peter 3:9
Jeremiah 24:7
Sin
Acts 3:19
Acts 26:18
4
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken to him, on a roll of a book.
Reference
5
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:
Reference
6
Therefore go you, and read in the roll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD's house on the fasting day: and also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.
7
It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD has pronounced against this people.
Reference
Evil
Jeremiah 36:3
Jeremiah 4:4
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 21:5
2 Kings 22:17
References Lord
Lamentations 4:11
2 Kings 22:13
8
And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD's house.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 1:17
9
And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem.
Reference
10
Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house, in the ears of all the people.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 52:25
Jeremiah 36:25
2 Samuel 8:17
References Lord
Jeremiah 26:10
Jeremiah 35:4
Word
Jeremiah 36:11
11
When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,
12
Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, see, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, 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 princes.
Reference
People
13
Then Michaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Kings 22:10
14
Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, Take in your hand the roll wherein you have read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came to them.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 36:2
15
And they said to him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.
16
Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said to Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.
Reference
17
And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How did you write all these words at his mouth?
Reference
Parallel theme
John 9:15
18
Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.
Reference
19
Then said the princes to Baruch, Go, hide you, you and Jeremiah; and let no man know where you be.
Reference
20
And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 36:12
21
So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
Reference
22
Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Amos 3:15
23
And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 22:8
Proverbs 19:21
Proverbs 21:30
Proverbs 1:30
Proverbs 13:13
1 Kings 22:27
24
Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.
Reference
25
Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.
Reference
26
But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Psalm 91:1
1 Kings 17:3
Isaiah 26:20
Psalm 27:5
Psalm 64:2
Psalm 57:1
Psalm 32:7
Prophecy
1 Kings 19:10
1 Kings 19:14
References Lord
Acts 12:11
27
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28
Take you again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.
29
And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus said the LORD; You have burned this roll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from there man and beast?
Reference
Kingdom
Job 15:24
Jeremiah 32:3
Parallel theme
Isaiah 30:10
Isaiah 45:9
Isaiah 29:21
Deuteronomy 29:19
References Lord
Jeremiah 26:9
30
Therefore thus said the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit on the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
Reference
References Lord
Jeremiah 22:30
31
And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they listened not.
Reference
Summary of Jeremiah 36
Jeremiah 36 presents a dramatic confrontation between God's word and human resistance. The chapter takes place during the reign of King Jehoiakim, several years before Jerusalem's final destruction, when Babylon is becoming the dominant power and Jeremiah has spent years warning Judah that continued rebellion will bring disaster.
God tells Jeremiah to put his prophetic messages into writing. The purpose is not simply to create a historical record; God specifically says that perhaps the people will hear the warnings and turn from their evil ways, so that He may forgive them.
Because Jeremiah is unable to go to the Temple, he dictates the message to Baruch, his trusted scribe. Baruch then takes the scroll to the Temple and reads it publicly during a time of fasting, giving the people and their leaders an opportunity to hear God's warning.
The officials who hear the message become frightened. They recognize that the words are serious and report them to the king's court. Baruch is questioned about how the scroll was created, and he explains that Jeremiah dictated the words while he wrote them down.
The officials realize that King Jehoiakim may react badly, so they tell Jeremiah and Baruch to hide.
Their concern proves justified.
When the scroll is brought before King Jehoiakim, the king listens as portions are read. Instead of responding with repentance, however, he takes a knife, cuts each section from the scroll, and throws it into the fire.
This is one of the strongest symbolic actions in Jeremiah. The king is not merely ignoring God's message; he is deliberately trying to destroy the written evidence of God's warning.
Yet destroying the scroll does not destroy God's word.
The officials are afraid, but Jehoiakim shows no fear or repentance. Even when some officials ask him not to burn the scroll, he refuses to listen. He then orders Jeremiah and Baruch to be arrested, but they cannot be found because God protects them.
God's response is strikingly simple: write it again.
Jeremiah receives another scroll, and Baruch writes the message again, with additional words added to it. The physical scroll can be burned, but the message itself cannot be destroyed.
The chapter therefore presents a powerful lesson about the difference between rejecting a message and eliminating its truth. Jehoiakim can destroy the parchment, but he cannot change what God has said or prevent the coming events.
God then announces judgment against Jehoiakim because he has deliberately rejected the warning. The king's refusal to listen does not remove the coming Babylonian judgment; instead, it confirms the hardness of his leadership.
The chapter also highlights the importance of writing and preserving God's message. Jeremiah's words are transferred from prophetic speech to written form, copied by Baruch, publicly read, preserved despite royal opposition, and rewritten after destruction.
The central message is that human beings may reject, suppress, or even destroy the written form of God's warning, but they cannot destroy God's word or prevent His purposes from being fulfilled, because when King Jehoiakim cuts Jeremiah's scroll into pieces and burns it, God simply commands Jeremiah to produce another scroll and the message is written again with additional words; the chapter therefore contrasts the fear and openness of some officials with the hardened rejection of the king, showing that God's warnings are given as an opportunity for repentance rather than merely as announcements of punishment, while also demonstrating that attempts to silence God's truth cannot prevent His purposes from moving forward.
God tells Jeremiah to put his prophetic messages into writing. The purpose is not simply to create a historical record; God specifically says that perhaps the people will hear the warnings and turn from their evil ways, so that He may forgive them.
Because Jeremiah is unable to go to the Temple, he dictates the message to Baruch, his trusted scribe. Baruch then takes the scroll to the Temple and reads it publicly during a time of fasting, giving the people and their leaders an opportunity to hear God's warning.
The officials who hear the message become frightened. They recognize that the words are serious and report them to the king's court. Baruch is questioned about how the scroll was created, and he explains that Jeremiah dictated the words while he wrote them down.
The officials realize that King Jehoiakim may react badly, so they tell Jeremiah and Baruch to hide.
Their concern proves justified.
When the scroll is brought before King Jehoiakim, the king listens as portions are read. Instead of responding with repentance, however, he takes a knife, cuts each section from the scroll, and throws it into the fire.
This is one of the strongest symbolic actions in Jeremiah. The king is not merely ignoring God's message; he is deliberately trying to destroy the written evidence of God's warning.
Yet destroying the scroll does not destroy God's word.
The officials are afraid, but Jehoiakim shows no fear or repentance. Even when some officials ask him not to burn the scroll, he refuses to listen. He then orders Jeremiah and Baruch to be arrested, but they cannot be found because God protects them.
God's response is strikingly simple: write it again.
Jeremiah receives another scroll, and Baruch writes the message again, with additional words added to it. The physical scroll can be burned, but the message itself cannot be destroyed.
The chapter therefore presents a powerful lesson about the difference between rejecting a message and eliminating its truth. Jehoiakim can destroy the parchment, but he cannot change what God has said or prevent the coming events.
God then announces judgment against Jehoiakim because he has deliberately rejected the warning. The king's refusal to listen does not remove the coming Babylonian judgment; instead, it confirms the hardness of his leadership.
The chapter also highlights the importance of writing and preserving God's message. Jeremiah's words are transferred from prophetic speech to written form, copied by Baruch, publicly read, preserved despite royal opposition, and rewritten after destruction.
The central message is that human beings may reject, suppress, or even destroy the written form of God's warning, but they cannot destroy God's word or prevent His purposes from being fulfilled, because when King Jehoiakim cuts Jeremiah's scroll into pieces and burns it, God simply commands Jeremiah to produce another scroll and the message is written again with additional words; the chapter therefore contrasts the fear and openness of some officials with the hardened rejection of the king, showing that God's warnings are given as an opportunity for repentance rather than merely as announcements of punishment, while also demonstrating that attempts to silence God's truth cannot prevent His purposes from moving forward.