1Jeremiah exhorting the people with severe threats to repentance 8is apprehended, and indicted before the princes for so doing: 12his apology: 16he is acquitted by the example of Micah and Urijah, and the assistance of Ahikam.
1IN the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,
2Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to 1worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:
1 Herb. properly: to bow themselves or to bow down. See Gen. 24 on verse 26.
3If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may 2repenta me of the 3evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
2 See Gen. 6 on verse 6. Also verses 13 and 19.
a Jer. 18:8.
3 Of punishment. See Gen. 19 on verse 19.
4And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
5To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up 4early,b and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
4 See Jer. 7 on verse 13.
b Jer. 7:13, 25; 11:7; 25:3.
6Then will I make this house like 5Shiloh,c and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
5 See Jer. 7:12, 14.
c 1 Sam. 4:12; Psalm 78:60; Jer. 7:12, 14.
7So the priests and the 6prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah 7speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
6 Understand the false prophets or false teachers; and also in the sequel. See Jer. 2:8.
7 Or, speak. Hebr. speaking.
8¶Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt 8surely die.
8 Hebr. dying die.
9Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
10¶When the princes of Judah heard these 9things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the 10new gate of the 11LORD’S house.
9 Or, words, matters.
10 Being (according to the opinion of some) the greatest of all, renewed and repaired by king Jotham, otherwise called the high gate; likewise the gate of Sur and Foundation-gate, in the east-end of the temple. See 2 Kings 11 on verse 6; 2 Kings 15 on verse 35; 2 Chron. 27 on verse 3, and compare Jer. 20 on verse 2.
11 That is, which was in front of the house of the Lord.
11Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is 12worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
12 Or, right, that is, he is guilty to be condemned to die or to be punished with death. Likewise verse 16. See Deut. 19 on verse 6; 21:22; Luke 24:20.
12¶Then spake Jeremiah unto 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 ye have heard.
13Therefore now amendd your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
d Jer. 7:3.
14As for me, behold, I am in your 13hand: do with me as seemeth 14good and meet unto you.
13 That is, power or might.
14 That is, as such ye judge to be good and right.
15But 15know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely 16bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
15 Hebr. knowing know.
16 Hebr. properly: give, appoint. See Judges 9 on verse 24; Ezek. 7 on verses 3, 4 and 8.
16¶Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.
17Then rose up certain of the 17elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
17 That is, most excellent, men in place of authority, persons of note and quality. See Num. 11 on verse 16, and compare Gen. 50:7.
18Micahe the 18Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of 19hosts; Zionf shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the 20mountain of the house as the 21high places of a forest.
e Micah 1:1.
18 That is, born at Moresheth, which some conceive to be Mareshah, from Micah 1:14, 15, because the original signification of the word seems to be the same. See the annotations there, and further Joshua 15:44. Yet others conceive Moresheth to be a village, situated not far from the city of Mareshah, situated on the western borders of Judah; or, to be another city, situated by Gath, pertaining to the Philistines, and perhaps taken by the Benjamites, 1 Chron. 8:13. See further Micah 1 on verse 14.
19 See 1 Kings 18 on verse 15.
f Micah 3:12.
20 Mount Moriah, where the temple stood.
21 That is, a very wild, desolate, woody height.
19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him 22at all to death? did 23he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD 24repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure 25great evil against our souls.
22 Or, merely to death. Hebr. putting to death by death.
23 Namely, Hezekiah.
24 As Jer. 18:8, and elsewhere often.
25 That is, commit a great sin, whereby we bring destruction upon ourselves. Compare Num. 16 on verse 38, etc.
20And there 26was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, 27Urijah the son of Shemaiah of 28Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land 29according to all the words of Jeremiah:
26 Or, there had or hath been also a man; so that this is an account of the prophet Jeremiah, serving unto the consideration of God’s gracious providence in the protection of Jeremiah by Ahikam, without which he would have been rewarded a little by Jehoiakim, as this Urijah.
27 Hebr. Urijahu-Schmajahu. Of this man there is nowhere else any mention made.
28 See Judges 18 on verse 12.
29 That is, in like manner, just so, as Jeremiah has done.
21And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
22And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of 30Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
30 Compare 2 Kings 22:12, 14; Jer. 36:12.
23And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who 31slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the 32graves of the common people.
31 That is, caused him to be smitten, that is, to be slain, and his body to be cast, etc.
32 That is, in one of the graves of the common people (see Judges 12 on verse 7); without showing him (as a prophet of the LORD was well worthy of) any common, outward honor.
24Nevertheless the 33hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
33 That is, he protected Jeremiah by his power, respect, prudence and authority, which he had. See of this Ahikam 2 Kings 22:12, 14; 25:22. Likewise Jer. 39:14.