And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?
And you should say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, 'This is what the LORD says: You burned this scroll, asking, "Why did you write in it that the king of Babylon will definitely come and destroy this land, wiping out both people and animals?"'
God is confronting King Jehoiakim for burning the scroll containing God's warning about Babylon's coming destruction because the king didn't want to hear the uncomfortable truth.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 605 BC when Jeremiah dictated God's prophecies to his scribe Baruch, who wrote them on a scroll. When the scroll was read to King Jehoiakim, he became angry at the prophecies of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon and burned the scroll piece by piece. God then commanded Jeremiah to rewrite the scroll and deliver this rebuke to the defiant king.
Ask the AI Assistant
Have a question about this chapter or verse? Ask below for a clear explanation.