God gave Judah one more warning in writing, and the stated hope was simple: it may be they would turn from their evil way, so that he could forgive them.
The scroll reached the king on a winter day, with a fire burning on the hearth in front of him. Three of his own officials begged him not to do what he did next. He would not hear them.
The Story of the King Burns the Scroll
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim king of Judah, the LORD told Jeremiah, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations. The purpose was given plainly: that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD upon a roll of a book. Jeremiah said, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD, so he sent Baruch to read it to the people on a fasting day. In the fifth year, in the ninth month, Baruch read the words in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house, in the ears of all the people.
Gemariah’s son Michaiah heard it and went down to the king’s house, where the princes sat in the scribe’s chamber. They sent for Baruch and said, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. When they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and told him, We will surely tell the king of all these words. They asked how he had written it, and Baruch said, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. Then the princes warned him, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.
The princes left the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe and told the king what was in it. The king sent Jehudi to fetch it, and Jehudi read it to the king and the princes standing beside him. The king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
When Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants. Only three men spoke up: Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. Instead the king ordered Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet arrested, but the LORD hid them.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. God also gave a word for Jehoiakim himself: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body would be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night.
So Jeremiah took another roll and gave it to Baruch, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words. The king destroyed one copy. The message came back longer.
Key Verses
“That they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” Jeremiah 36:3
“When Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth” Jeremiah 36:23
“Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them” Jeremiah 36:25
“Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll” Jeremiah 36:28
“And there were added besides unto them many like words” Jeremiah 36:32
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of the King Burns the Scroll Teaches Us
The scroll was sent as an act of mercy. God said its purpose was that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. Even a written warning of judgment was an invitation to turn back.
The same words got very different responses. The princes who heard them were afraid both one and other, and three of them pleaded with the king to stop. The king and his servants were not afraid, nor rent their garments. Hearing God’s word is not the same as receiving it.
A king could cut a scroll and burn it, but he could not burn what God had said. The LORD hid Jeremiah and Baruch, had every word written again, and there were added besides unto them many like words. Destroying the message only brought a fuller one.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which king burned Jeremiah’s scroll?
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. Jeremiah 36:27-28 says the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after that the king had burned the roll.
Who wrote the scroll for Jeremiah?
Baruch the son of Neriah. Jeremiah 36:4 says Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD upon a roll of a book.
How did the king destroy the scroll?
As Jehudi read it, every three or four leaves were cut with the penknife and thrown into the fire on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire (Jeremiah 36:23).
Who tried to stop the king from burning the scroll?
Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them (Jeremiah 36:25).
What happened after the scroll was burned?
God told Jeremiah to write another roll with all the former words. Baruch wrote it from Jeremiah’s mouth, and there were added besides unto them many like words (Jeremiah 36:28, 32).
Where is the story of the burned scroll in the Bible?
It is in Jeremiah 36, during the reign of King Jehoiakim.