Jeremiah 36:17-27

17 And they asked him, and said, Show thou to us, how thou hast written all these words of his mouth. (And they asked him, and said, Tell thou us, how thou hast written all these words from his mouth.)

18 Forsooth Baruch said to them, Of his mouth he spake, as reading to me, all these words; and I wrote in a book with ink. (And Baruch said to them, He spoke all these words out of his mouth, as if reading to me, and I wrote them down with ink in a book.)

19 And all the princes said to Baruch, Go, be thou hid, thou and Jeremy; and no man know where ye be. (And all the officers said to Baruch, Go, be thou hid, thou and Jeremiah; and let no one know where ye be.)

20 And they entered to the king, into the hall; forsooth they betook the book to be kept into the treasury of Elishama, the scribe. And they told all the words, in audience of the king. (And then they went to the king, in the hall; and they had put the book in the chamber of Elishama, the writer, or the court secretary, for safekeeping. And they told everything to the king.)

21 Therefore the king sent Jehudi, that he should take the book. Which took the book from the treasury of Elishama, the scribe, and read in audience of the king, and of all the princes that stood about the king. (And so the king sent Jehudi, to get the book. Who brought the book from the chamber of Elishama, the writer, or the court secretary, and then he read it before the king, and before all the officers who stood about the king.)

22 Forsooth the king sat in the winter house, in the ninth month; and a pan full of coals was set before him.

23 And when Jehudi had read three pages, either four, he cutted it with the knife of a scribe, and casted into the fire (he cut it with a writer's knife, and threw it into the fire), that was in the pan, till all the book was wasted by the fire, that was in the pan.

24 And the king, and all his servants, that heard all these words, dreaded not, neither rent their clothes. (And the king, and all his officers, who heard all these words, did not fear, nor tore their clothes.)

25 Nevertheless Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah against-said [to] the king, that he should not burn the book; and he heard not them (but he would not listen to them).

26 And the king commanded to Jerahmeel, son of Hammelech, and to Seraiah, son of Azriel, and to Shelemiah, son of Abdeel, that they should take (hold of) Baruch, the writer, and Jeremy, the prophet; forsooth the Lord hid them.

27 And the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy, the prophet, after that the king had burnt the book, and [the] words, which Baruch had written of Jeremy's mouth; and he said, (And the word of the Lord was made to the prophet Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the book, and the words, which Baruch had written from Jeremiah's mouth; and he said,)

Jeremiah 36:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 36

This chapter gives an account of an impious action of King Jehoiakim's burning the roll of Jeremiah's prophecies read unto him, and the consequence of it. The order to write this roll, the time when, the contents and use of it, are in Jer 36:1-3; the writing of it by Baruch, the order of the prophet to read it to the people on such a day, with the view he had in so doing, Jer 36:4-7; the reading of it by Baruch to the people first, Jer 36:8-10; then to the princes, being sent for by them, upon a report made to them, Jer 36:11-15; the king being acquainted with it, Jehudi was sent to fetch the roll, who read it to the king, Jer 36:16-21; who having heard part of it, burnt it, notwithstanding the intercession of some of his princes to the contrary, Jer 36:22-25; and who also ordered the apprehension of Jeremiah and Baruch, who could not be found, Jer 36:26; upon this a new roll is ordered to be written, Jer 36:27,28; which was done with some additions to it, respecting the destruction of the land, and the people in it, by the Chaldeans; and particularly the death of the king, and his want of burial, Jer 36:29-32.