Jeremiah 26 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Around 609 BC, at the start of Jehoiakim's reign, shortly after his brother was deposed by Egypt
Location
The temple courtyard in Jerusalem, then the New Gate where the officials convened a hearing
Audience
Judeans in Jerusalem, and later readers weighing how the nation treated the prophets it was sent
Situation
Jeremiah stands in the temple court and says that if the people do not change, God will do to this house what he did to Shiloh, and he is seized by the priests and prophets and put on trial for his life. Officials and elders argue for acquittal by citing an earlier prophet who said similar things and was spared, while a counter-example is given of a prophet named Uriah who fled to Egypt and was extradited and executed.
Key Background
Shiloh was the old sanctuary in the hill country north of Jerusalem where the ark had rested for generations, and archaeology shows it was destroyed, so a Judean crowd heard the comparison as a claim that a holy place is not indestructible. Popular belief in Jerusalem held that the temple guaranteed the city's safety, which made Jeremiah's speech sound like treason rather than religion. The extradition of Uriah from Egypt reflects the real politics of the moment: Jehoiakim owed his throne to Pharaoh, so Egypt had every reason to hand a fugitive back, and the detail shows how narrow Jeremiah's escape was.
At the beginning of the reign of son of king of Judah, this message came from Yahweh:
"This is what Yahweh says: Stand in the courtyard of and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to in Tell them everything I command you — don't leave out a single word.
Maybe they'll listen and each one will from their If they do, my about the disaster I was planning to bring on them because of the terrible things they've been doing."
"Say to them: This is what Yahweh says — If you won't listen to me and follow the I've laid out for you,
and if you won't listen to the words of my servants the — the ones I've been sending to you and even though you never listened —
then I'll make this house like and I'll make this city a among every nation on earth."
The the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in Yahweh's house.
When Jeremiah finished saying everything Yahweh had commanded to say to all the people, the priests and prophets and all the people and said, "You're going to die for this!
Why would you in and say, 'This house will become like Shiloh, and this city will be left empty with no one living in it'?" The whole crowd surrounded Jeremiah in house.
When the of Judah heard about all this, they came up from the royal palace to Yahweh's house and took their seats at the entrance of the of Yahweh's house.
Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, "This man deserves the because he has prophesied against this city — you heard it yourselves!"
Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: "Yahweh sent me to prophesy against this house and this city — everything you've heard.
So now — change and and listen to Yahweh God. Then Yahweh will his mind about the disaster he announced against you.
As for me — I'm in Do with me whatever you think is right and just.
But know this for certain: if you put me to death, you'll be bringing on yourselves and on this city and everyone in it. Because Yahweh truly did send me to you to speak all these words where you could hear them."
Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and prophets, "This man does not deserve the death sentence, because he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God."
Then some of the of the stood up and said to the entire assembled crowd:
from prophesied during the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah: 'This is what Yahweh, of says: will be plowed up like a field, Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble, and the temple hill will become an overgrown ridge.'
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all of Judah put him to death? Didn't Hezekiah instead and And changed mind about the disaster he had announced against them. We're about to bring terrible harm on ourselves!"
There was also another man who prophesied in Yahweh's name — Uriah son of Shemaiah, from He prophesied against this city and this land using the same kind of language Jeremiah did.
When King Jehoiakim and all his and officials heard what Uriah was saying, the king tried to have him killed. But Uriah heard about it and fled in fear to Egypt.
But King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt — Elnathan of and some others with him — to Egypt.
They brought Uriah back from Egypt and took to King Jehoiakim, who down with a and had his body thrown into the
But of to Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be killed.