26:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah 2 at the beginning of the reign 3 of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah. 26:2 The Lord said, “Go stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 4 Speak out to all the people who are coming from the towns of Judah to worship in the Lord’s temple. Tell them everything I command you to tell them. Do not leave out a single word! 26:3 Maybe they will pay attention and each of them will stop living the evil way they do. 5 If they do that, then I will forgo destroying them 6 as I had intended to do because of the wicked things they have been doing. 7 26:4 Tell them that the Lord says, 8 ‘You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws. 9 26:5 You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. 10 But you have not paid any attention to them. 26:6 If you do not obey me, 11 then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. 12 And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’”
26:7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple. 26:8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some 13 of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die! 14 26:9 How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” 15 Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah.
26:10 However, some of the officials 16 of Judah heard about what was happening 17 and they rushed up to the Lord’s temple from the royal palace. They set up court 18 at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple. 19 26:11 Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and all the people. They said, 20 “This man should be condemned to die 21 because he prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so 22 with your own ears.”
26:12 Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people. 23 “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city. 26:13 But correct the way you have been living and do what is right. 24 Obey the Lord your God. If you do, the Lord will forgo destroying you as he threatened he would. 25 26:14 As to my case, I am in your power. 26 Do to me what you deem fair and proper. 26:15 But you should take careful note of this: If you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves and this city and those who live in it the guilt of murdering an innocent man. For the Lord has sent me to speak all this where you can hear it. That is the truth!” 27
26:16 Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said, 28 “This man should not be condemned to die. 29 For he has spoken to us under the authority of the Lord our God.” 30 26:17 Then some of the elders of Judah 31 stepped forward and spoke to all the people gathered there. They said, 26:18 “Micah from Moresheth 32 prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. 33 He told all the people of Judah,
‘The Lord who rules over all 34 says,
“Zion 35 will become a plowed field.
Jerusalem 36 will become a pile of rubble.
The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ 37
1 sn Beginning with Jer 26 up to Jer 45 the book narrates in third person style incidents in the life of Jeremiah and prophecies (or sermons) he gave in obedience to the
2 tn The words “to Jeremiah” are not in the Hebrew text. They are added by the Old Latin (not the Vulgate) and the Syriac versions. They are implicit, however, to the narrative style which speaks of Jeremiah in the third person (cf. vv. 7, 12). They have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn It is often thought that the term here is equivalent to a technical term in Akkadian (reshsharruti) which refers to the part of the year remaining from the death or deposing of the previous king until the beginning of the calendar year when the new king officially ascended the throne. In this case it would refer to the part of the year between September, 609
4 sn It is generally agreed that the incident recorded in this chapter relates to the temple message that Jeremiah gave in 7:1-15. The message there is summarized here in vv. 3-6. The primary interest here is in the response to that message.
5 tn Heb “will turn from his wicked way.”
6 tn For the idiom and translation of terms involved here see 18:8 and the translator’s note there.
7 tn Heb “because of the wickedness of their deeds.”
8 tn Heb “thus says the
9 tn Heb “by walking in my law which I set before you.”
10 tn See the translator’s note on 7:13 for the idiom here.
11 tn 26:4-6 are all one long sentence containing a long condition with subordinate clauses (vv. 4-5) and a compound consequence in v. 6: Heb “If you will not obey me by walking in my law…by paying attention to the words of the prophets which…and you did not pay heed, then I will make…and I will make…” The sentence has been broken down in conformity to contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to reflect all the subordinations in the English translation.
12 sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.
13 tn The translation again represents an attempt to break up a long complex Hebrew sentence into equivalent English ones that conform more to contemporary English style: Heb “And as soon as Jeremiah finished saying all that…the priests…grabbed him and said…” The word “some” has been supplied in the translation, because obviously it was not all the priests, the prophets, and all the people, but only some of them. There is, of course, rhetorical intent here to show that all were implicated, although all may not have actually participated. (This is a common figure called synecdoche where all is put for a part – all for all kinds or representatives of all kinds. See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 614-19, and compare usage in Acts 10:12; Matt 3:5.)
14 tn Or “You must certainly die!” The construction here is again emphatic with the infinitive preceding the finite verb (cf. Joüon 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Exod 21:28).
15 tn Heb “Why have you prophesied in the
16 sn These officials of Judah were officials from the royal court. They may have included some of the officials mentioned in Jer 36:12-25. They would have been concerned about any possible “illegal” proceedings going on in the temple.
17 tn Heb “these things.”
18 tn Heb “they sat” or “they took their seats.” However, the context is one of judicial trial.
19 tn The translation follows many Hebrew
20 tn Heb “the priests and prophets said to the leaders and the people….” The long sentence has been broken up to conform better with contemporary English style and the situational context is reflected in “laid their charges.”
21 tn Heb “a sentence of death to this man.”
22 tn Heb “it.”
23 tn Heb “Jeremiah said to all the leaders and all the people….” See the note on the word “said” in the preceding verse.
24 tn Heb “Make good your ways and your actions.” For the same expression see 7:3, 5; 18:11.
25 tn For the idiom and translation of terms involved here see 18:8 and the translator’s note there.
26 tn Heb “And I, behold I am in your hand.” Hand is quite commonly used for “power” or “control” in biblical contexts.
27 tn Heb “For in truth the
28 tn Heb “Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets…”
29 sn Contrast v. 11.
30 tn Heb “For in the name of the
31 tn Heb “elders of the land.”
32 sn Micah from Moresheth was a contemporary of Isaiah (compare Mic 1:1 with Isa 1:1) from the country town of Moresheth in the hill country southwest of Jerusalem. The prophecy referred to is found in Mic 3:12. This is the only time in the OT where an OT prophet is quoted verbatim and identified.
33 sn Hezekiah was co-regent with his father Ahaz from 729-715
34 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
35 sn Zion was first of all the citadel that David captured (2 Sam 5:6-10), then the city of David and the enclosed temple area, then the whole city of Jerusalem. It is often in poetic parallelism with Jerusalem as it is here (see, e.g., Ps 76:2; Amos 1:2).
36 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
37 sn There is irony involved in this statement. The text reads literally “high places of a forest/thicket.” The “high places” were the illicit places of worship that Jerusalem was supposed to replace. Because of their sin, Jerusalem would be like one of the pagan places of worship with no place left sacrosanct. It would even be overgrown with trees and bushes. So much for its inviolability!