Jeremiah 26

1 In the beginning of the realm of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word was made of the Lord, and said, (At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word of the Lord was made to Jeremiah, and said,)

2 The Lord said these things, Stand thou in the foreyard of the house of the Lord, and thou shalt speak to all the cities of Judah, from which they come for to worship in the house of the Lord, all the words which I command to thee, that thou speak to them; do not thou withdraw a word; (The Lord said these things, Stand thou in the courtyard of the House of the Lord, and thou shalt speak to all people of the cities of Judah, from which they come in order to worship in the House of the Lord, all the words which I command thee, that thou speak to them; do not thou withhold one word;)

3 if peradventure they hear, and be converted, each man from his evil way, and it repent me of the evil, which I thought to do to them, for the malices of their studies. (if perhaps they hear, and each person turn from his evil ways, and then I shall repent for the evil, which I had thought to do to them, for the malice of their deeds.)

4 And thou shalt say to them, The Lord saith these things, If ye hear not me, that ye go in my law which I gave to you, (And thou shalt say to them, The Lord saith these things, If ye do not listen to me, so that ye go in my Law which I gave to you,)

5 that ye hear the words of my servants, (the) prophets, which I rising by night, and (ad)dressing, sent to you, and ye heard not; (and that ye hear the words of my servants, the prophets, which I rising up by night, and directing, sent to you, but ye did not listen to them;)

6 I shall give this house as Shiloh, and I shall give this city into cursing to all folks of earth. (then I shall make this House like Shiloh, and I shall give this city into cursing by all the nations of the earth.)

7 And the priests, and prophets, and all the people heard Jeremy speaking these words in the house of the Lord. (And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the House of the Lord.)

8 And when Jeremy had [ful]filled speaking all things, which the Lord had commanded to him, that he should speak to all the people, the priests, and [the] prophets, and all the people took him, and said, Die he by death (He must die!);

9 why prophesied he in the name of the Lord, and said, This house shall be as Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, for no dweller there is? And all the people was gathered together against Jeremy, in the house of the Lord. (why did he prophesy in the name of the Lord, and said, This House shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be made desolate, for there shall be no inhabitants here? And all the people were gathered together against Jeremiah, in the House of the Lord.)

10 And the princes of Judah heard all these words; and they ascended from the king's house into the house of the Lord, and sat in the entering of the new gate of the house of the Lord. (And the princes, or the leaders, of Judah heard all these words; and they went up from the king's house to the House of the Lord, and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the House of the Lord.)

11 And the priests and [the] prophets spake to the princes, and to all the people, and said, Doom of death is to this man (A judgement, or a sentence, of death is given to this man), for he prophesied against this city, as ye heard with your (own) ears.

12 And Jeremy said to all the princes (And Jeremiah said to all the princes, or to all the leaders), and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me, that I should prophesy to this house, and to this city, all the words which ye heard.

13 Now therefore make ye good your ways, and your studies, and hear ye the voice of your Lord God; and it shall repent the Lord of the evil which he spake against you. (And so now if ye make good your ways, and your deeds, and listen to the voice of the Lord your God, then the Lord shall repent for the evil which he spoke against you.)

14 Lo! forsooth I am in your hands; do ye to me, as it is good and rightful before your eyes.

15 Nevertheless know ye, and [well] know, that if ye slay me, ye shall betray innocent blood against yourselves, and against this city, and the dwellers thereof; for in truth the Lord sent me to you, that I should speak in your ears all these words. (Nevertheless know ye, and know ye well, that if ye kill me, ye shall betray innocent blood against yourselves, and against this city, and its inhabitants; for in all truth, the Lord hath sent me to you, so that I could speak all these words in your ears.)

16 And the princes and all the people said to the priests and prophets, Doom of death is not to this man; for he spake to us in the name of our Lord God. (And the princes, or the leaders, and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, A judgement, or a sentence, of death should not be given to this man; for he spoke to us in the name of the Lord our God.)

17 Therefore men of the elder men of the land rose up, and said to all the company of the people, and spake, (And so some of the elders of the land rose up, and spoke to all the company of the people, and said,)

18 Micah of Moresheth was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and he said to all the people of Judah, saying, The Lord of hosts saith these things, Zion shall be eared as a field, and Jerusalem shall be into an heap of stones, and the hill of the house of the Lord shall be into high things of woods. (Micah of Moresheth was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah, the king of Judah; and he said to all the people of Judah, saying, The Lord of hosts saith these things, Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of stones, and the hill of the House of the Lord shall become the high places of a forest.)

19 Whether Hezekiah, king of Judah, and all Judah condemned him by death? Whether they dreaded not the Lord, and besought the face of the Lord? and it repented the Lord of the evil which he spake against them. Therefore do we not great evil against our souls. (Did Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and all Judah condemn him to death? Rather, did they not fear the Lord, and besought the face of the Lord? and then the Lord repented for the evil which he spoke against them. And so let us not do this great evil against ourselves.)

20 Also Urijah, the son of Shemaiah, of Kiriathjearim, was a man prophesying in the name of the Lord; and he prophesied against this city, and against this land, by all the words of Jeremy (with words like those of Jeremiah).

21 And king Jehoiakim, and all the mighty men, and princes of them (and their leaders), heard these words; and the king sought to slay him; and Urijah heard, and dreaded, and he fled, and entered into Egypt.

22 And king Jehoiakim sent men into Egypt, (namely,) Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and (the other) men with him, into Egypt;

23 and they led Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him to king Jehoiakim; and the king killed him with sword, and casted forth his carrion in the sepulchres of the common people unnoble. (and they led Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him to King Jehoiakim; and the king killed him with a sword, and cast forth his dead body onto the graves of the common, or the unnoble, people.)

24 Therefore the hand of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, was with Jeremy, that he was not betaken into the hands of the people, and that it killed not him (And so the hand, or the power, of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah, so that he was not delivered into the hands of the people, and so that they did not kill him.)

Jeremiah 26 Commentary

Chapter 26

The destruction of the temple and city foretold. (1-6) Jeremiah's life is threatened. (7-15) He is defended by the elders. (16-24)

Verses 1-6 God's ambassadors must not seek to please men, or to save themselves from harm. See how God waits to be gracious. If they persisted in disobedience, it would ruin their city and temple. Can any thing else be expected? Those who will not be subject to the commands of God, make themselves subject to the curse of God.

Verses 7-15 The priests and prophets charged Jeremiah as deserving death, and bore false witness against him. The elders of Israel came to inquire into this matter. Jeremiah declares that the Lord sent him to prophesy thus. As long as ministers keep close to the word they have from God, they need not fear. And those are very unjust who complain of ministers for preaching of hell and damnation; for it is from a desire to bring them to heaven and salvation. Jeremiah warns them of their danger if they go on against him. All men may know, that to hurt, or put to death, or to show hatred to their faithful reprovers, will hasten and increase their own punishment.

Verses 16-24 When secure sinners are threatened with taking away the Spirit of God, and the kingdom of God, it is what is warranted from the word of God. Hezekiah who protected Micah, prospered. Did Jehoiakim, who slew Urijah, prosper? The examples of bad men, and the bad consequences of their sins, should deter from what is evil. Urijah was faithful in delivering his message, but faulty in leaving his work. And the Lord was pleased to permit him to lose his life, while Jeremiah was protected in danger. Those are safest who most simply trust in the Lord, whatever their outward circumstances may be; and that He has all men's hearts in his hands, encourages us to trust him in the way of duty. He will honour and recompense those who show kindness to such as are persecuted for his sake.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 26

This chapter gives an account of Jeremiah's preaching; of his being apprehended by the people; of his defence of himself, and acquittance upon it. The time when, place where, and persons to whom the prophet delivered his discourse, are pointed at in Jer 26:1,2; the substance of it was, that if the people of the Jews would repent of their sins and turn from them, the Lord would avert the evil he had threatened them with; but if not, he would make their temple like Shiloh, and their city a curse to all the earth, Jer 26:3-6; upon hearing which the people seized him, and vowed he should die, because he had prophesied of the destruction of their city and temple, Jer 26:7-9; which the princes hearing of, came from the king's house to one of the gates of the temple, and sat as a court of judicature; to whom the priests and prophets accused Jeremiah of the above things as worthy of death, Jer 26:10,11; and before whom the prophet made his defence, alleging his mission and orders from the Lord; and therefore, instead of recanting, repeats his exhortation; and as for himself, he was not careful what they did to him; but advises them not to shed innocent blood, since it would bring evil upon them, Jer 26:12-15; upon which the princes acquit him, and declare him innocent, Jer 26:16; and this is confirmed by a like instance of Micah the prophet, in the times of Hezekiah, who prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem, and yet was not put to death, Jer 26:17-19; and by a contrary instance of Uriah, in the then present reign of Jehoiakim, who had been put to death for the like, but wrongly, Jer 26:20-23; and, in the issue, Jeremiah, through the good office of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, particularly, was saved from being put to death, Jer 26:24.