In the beginning of the reign of Yehoyaqim son of Yoshiyyahu king of Yehuda came this word from the Lord, saying,

Thus says the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Yehuda, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak to them; leave nothing out:

Perhaps they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may relent of the evil, which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their doings.

And thou shalt say to them, Thus says the Lord; If you will not hearken to me, to walk in my Tora, which I have set before you,

to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, (sending from morning to night, but you have not hearkened;)

then will I make this house like Shilo, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Yirmeyahu as he spoke these words in the house of the Lord.

Now it came to pass, when Yirmeyahu had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took hold of him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shilo, and this city shall be desolate without inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Yirmeyahu in the house of the Lord.

When the princes of Yehuda heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord’s house.

Then spoke the priests and the prophets to the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.

Then spoke Yirmeyahu to all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.

Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will relent of the evil that he has pronounced against you.

As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seems good and proper in your eyes.

But know for certain, that if you put me to death, you shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon its inhabitants: for of a truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.

Then said the princes and all the people to the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.

Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,

Mikha the Morashti prophesied in the days of Ḥizqiyyahu king of Yehuda, and spoke to all the people of Yehuda, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts; Żiyyon shall be plowed like a field, and Yerushalayim shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.

Did Ḥizqiyyahu king of Yehuda and all Yehuda put him to death? did he not rather fear the Lord, and beseech the Lord, and the Lord repented of the evil which he had pronounced against them? And shall we bring such a great evil against our souls?

And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriyyahu the son of Shema῾yahu of Qiryat-hayye῾arim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Yirmeyahu:

and when Yehoyaqim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Uriyyahu heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Miżrayim;

and Yehoyaqim the king sent men to Miżrayim, namely, Elnatan the son of ῾Akhbor, and others with him into Miżrayim.

And they fetched Uriyyahu out of Miżrayim, and brought him to Yehoyaqim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body upon the graves of the common people.

Nevertheless the hand of Aĥiqam the son of Shafan was with Yirmeyahu, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.