Jeremiah 33

1 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, this word came from the Lord. [a] 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and proclaim to all the people of Judah, and to all who come to bow down in the Lord’s house, all the words I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a single word.” 3 “Perhaps they will listen and turn, each one from his evil way. Then I will cease from the disasters I intend to bring on them because of their evil practices.” 4 “And say to them, This is what the Lord says: If you will not listen to me and walk by the practices I have set before you,” 5 “and listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you day after day, from early morning — I sent them, and you have not listened —” 6 “Then I will make this house like Shiloh and make this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.” 7 The priests, and the false prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 When Jeremiah finished speaking everything the Lord had commanded him to tell the people, the priests, false prophets, and all the people seized him and said, “You must die!” 9 “For you prophesied in the Lord’s name that this house would become like Shiloh and this city would be left without inhabitants.” And all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the Lord’s house. 10 The rulers of Judah heard this word, and they went up out of the house of the king to the house of the Lord, and sat in the entrance of the new gate. 11 Then the priests and the false prophets said to the rulers and to all the people, “The judgment of death is due to this man, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.” 12 Then Jeremiah said to the rulers and all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard.” 13 “Now change your ways and actions and listen to the Lord’s voice. Then the Lord will relent from the disasters he pronounced against you.” 14 “Look, I am in your hands. Do to me whatever you think is right and good.” 15 “But know this for certain: if you kill me, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, this city, and its residents. The Lord truly sent me to speak all these words in your hearing.” 16 Then the rulers and all the people said to the priests and to the false prophets, “The judgment of death is not due to this man, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 17 Then some of the elders of the land rose up and said to the whole gathering of the people, 18 “Micah the Moreshethite was here in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, This is what the Lord says: Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become an uninhabited waste, and the mountain of the house a wooded thicket.” 19 “Did Hezekiah and all Judah put him to death at all? Did they not fear the Lord and plead before the Lord, so that the Lord ceased from the disasters he had pronounced against them? But we have done great evil against our own souls.” 20 There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord — Uriah son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this land in the same words as Jeremiah. 21 King Jehoiakim and all the rulers heard everything he said and sought to kill him. When Uriah heard of it, he fled into Egypt. 22 So the king sent men into Egypt, [b] 23 and they brought Uriah out of there and led him to the king. The king struck him down with the sword and threw him into the grave of the sons of his people. 24 But the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to be killed.