Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll

1 In the ^wfourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and ^xwrite on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, ^yfrom the days of Josiah until today. 3 ^zIt may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, ^aand that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

4 Then Jeremiah called ^bBaruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch ^cwrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, 6 so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. 7 It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.

9 In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem ^dproclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10 Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the ^eNew Gate of the Lord’s house.

19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.”

20 So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22 It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the ^gwinter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. 23 As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. 24 Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. 25 Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29 And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, “Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: ^hHe shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and ⁱhis dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah ^jall the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

2 “Take a scroll and ^xwrite on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, ^yfrom the days of Josiah until today.

The Ministry of Apostles

1 This is how one should regard us, as ^qservants of Christ and ^rstewards of the ^smysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For ^tI am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore ^udo not pronounce ^vjudgment before the time, before the Lord ^wcomes, who will ^xbring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will ^ydisclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

6 I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,¹ that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be ^zpuffed up in favor of one against another. 7 For who sees anything different in you? ^aWhat do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become ^brich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, ^clike men sentenced to death, because we have ^dbecome a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are ^efools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. ^fWe are ^gweak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour ^hwe hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we ⁱlabor, working with our own hands. ^jWhen reviled, ^kwe bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless² guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. ^lFor I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 ^mI urge you, then, ⁿbe imitators of me. 17 That is why ^oI sent³ you Timothy, my beloved and faithful ^pchild in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,⁴ as I teach them ^qeverywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But ^rI will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God ^sdoes not consist in ^ttalk but ^uin power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love ^vin a spirit of gentleness?