Armiya 36

It happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim Ibn Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Armiya from Allah, saying, ²Take a scroll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. ³It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. ⁴Then Armiya called Baruch Ibn Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Armiya all the words of Allah, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll of a book. ⁵Armiya commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of Allah: ⁶therefore go, and read in the scroll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of Allah in the ears of the people in Allah's house on the fast-day; and also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah who come out of their cities. ⁷It may be they will present their supplication before Allah, and will return everyone from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Allah has pronounced against this people. ⁸Baruch Ibn Neriah did according to all that Armiya the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of Allah in Allah's house. ⁹Now it happened in the fifth year of Jehoiakim Ibn Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem, and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem, proclaimed a fast before Allah. ¹⁰Then Baruch read in the book the words of Armiya in the house of Allah, in the chamber of Gemariah Ibn Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Allah's house, in the hearing of all the people. ¹¹When Micaiah Ibn Gemariah, Ibn Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of Allah, ¹²he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, behold, all the princes were sitting there, including Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah Ibn Shemaiah, and Elnathan Ibn Achbor, and Gemariah Ibn Shaphan, and Zedekiah Ibn Hananiah, and all the princes. ¹³Then Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the hearing of the people. ¹⁴Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi Ibn Nethaniah, Ibn Shelemiah, Ibn Cushi, to Baruch, saying, Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the hearing of the people, and come. So Baruch Ibn Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them. ¹⁵They said to him, Sit down now, and read it in our hearing. So Baruch read it in their hearing. ¹⁶Now it happened, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. ¹⁷They asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How did you write all these words at his mouth? ¹⁸Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. ¹⁹Then the princes said to Baruch, Go, hide yourselves, you and Armiya; and let no man know where you are. ²⁰They went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words to the king. ²¹So the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. Jehudi read it to the king, and to all the princes who stood beside the king. ²²Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month: and there was a fire in the brazier burning before him. ²³It happened, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. ²⁴They were not afraid, nor tore their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants who heard all these words. ²⁵Moreover Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the scroll; but he would not hear them. ²⁶The king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Seraiah Ibn Azriel, and Shelemiah Ibn Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Armiya the prophet; but Allah hid them. ²⁷Then the word of Allah came to Armiya, after the king had burned the scroll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Armiya, saying, ²⁸Take another scroll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. ²⁹Concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, Thus says Allah: You have burned this scroll, saying, Why have you written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from there man and beast? ³⁰Therefore thus says Allah concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of Dawud; and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. ³¹I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they did not listen. ³²Then Armiya took another scroll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, Ibn Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Armiya all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and there were added besides to them many similar words.

Next Page