(Verses 7-9.) And the priests and prophets (or false prophets) and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and prophets (or false prophets) and all the people seized him, saying, 'You shall surely die! Because you have prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, 'This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant.' The priests and prophets, whom the LXX have more clearly translated as false prophets, are angry with Jeremiah because he preaches the truth, that the religion will perish with the Temple and the deserted city, and the profits that come from religion; therefore they seize him and, with the consent of the people, condemn him to death. Thus he says in the name of the Lord, just as Shiloh will be this house and the city will be desolate, because there is no inhabitant. Therefore, if at any time the priests, or false prophets, or the deceived people become angry with us because of the commands of the Lord and the truth of faith, let us not care greatly, but let us carry out God's will, considering not present evils but future goods in our minds.
26:10
(Verse 10) And all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, and the leaders of Judah heard these words and came from the king's house to the house of the Lord, and sat at the entrance of the Lord's gate (Vulgate: house of the Lord) new. Jeremiah was prophesying in the temple of the Lord, and he had said: I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. And immediately, a sedition arose among the priests and prophets and the people, and the entire crowd gathered against the Prophet in the Temple, where the Prophet and the priests and prophets and the people were held by force. When the leaders of the city, who were staying in the royal house, heard this, they crossed over or went up from the king's house to the house of the Lord. And it should be noted that going to the house of the Lord was always an ascent. And they sat at the entrance of the new gate of the Lord. For it was the duty of the princes to sit at the gate of the house of the Lord, and there to discern the truth of matters and seditions. And the gate was called new because those who sat in it and presided over judgment resisted the slander of the priests and false prophets.
26:11
(Verse 11) And the priests and prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying: This man deserves the punishment of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears. But the leading men of the city, who had come from the king's palace to the temple, sat in the gateway of the temple and in the new gateway, in order to calm the people and gather them for a meeting. The priests and false prophets accused Jeremiah, and the prophet would have perished if the accusers themselves had the power of judgment. From this, we understand that those who were devoted to religion were seen as more cruel towards the Prophet due to envy of his holiness than those who were in charge of public affairs.
26:12-15
(Verse 12 and following) And Jeremiah said to all the leaders and to all the people, saying: The Lord has sent me to prophesy to this house (or over this house) and to this city (or over this city) all the words that you have heard. Therefore, now make your ways and your pursuits good, and listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent of the evil that He has spoken against you (or the Lord will cease from the evils that He has spoken against you). But behold, I am in your hands: do to me what is good and right in your eyes (or what is expedient for you). However, know and understand that if you kill me, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants. Truly, the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears. While the people were present, the princes sat in the gate of the city and accused Jeremiah the prophet to the priests and the prophets, and they conspired to bring about his death. Jeremiah spoke to the princes and to all the people, whom the faction of priests and false prophets had incited, wisely and humbly, yet steadfastly. Prudently, because he said that he had been sent by the Lord to speak against the temple and the city, and to give advice, that if they would listen to his advice and repent, the Lord would also change His decision. Yet humbly, in what he said: Behold, I am in your hands: do to me what is good and right in your eyes. Furthermore, firmly: The Lord has sent me to you in truth, to speak all these words in your ears. And he speaks in other statements: If you are angry because I have spoken against the temple and the city of the Lord, and you are concerned about the salvation of the city and the temple: why do you increase sins with sins, and make the city and its inhabitants guilty of my blood? Therefore, if and when we need humility due to the constraints of necessity, let us accept it in such a way that we do not abandon truth and steadfastness. For it is one thing to arrogantly insult the judge, which is a sign of foolishness; it is another thing to avoid impending danger in such a way that you do not subtract anything from the truth.
26:16
(Verse 16) And the leaders and all the people said to the priests and prophets: This man does not deserve death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. The people, who had previously been deceived by the priests and false prophets, join forces with the city's leaders and speak up for Jeremiah, stating that he is not guilty of deserving death, but rather that he has prophesied in the name of the Lord and according to His word. For the uneducated masses easily change their opinion when given a valid reason. But the pain of the accusers, especially of the priests and false prophets, cannot be changed. And therefore, with them accusing and persevering in their accusation, the people are changed: which the Lord had given them hope of mercy, if they would do good in their ways and listen to the voice of the Lord their God, so that the Lord would change his judgment.
26:17-19
(Verse 17 onwards) And the men of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to the whole assembly of the people, saying: Micaiah of Moresheth was a prophet in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest. Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did they not fear the Lord and pray to the face of the Lord? And the Lord repented of the evil that he had spoken against them. Therefore, we are doing great evil against our own souls. The leaders of the city and the people understand the truth of judgment. However, the elders, whose duty it was to know the ancient things, recount the history - and the prophecy of Micah from Moresheth, who prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah, they compare it with the prophecies of Jeremiah, for which he is being threatened with death; and they show that he said more serious things, and yet suffered nothing from the righteous king Hezekiah: but that those who turned to repentance, the sentence of the Lord turned into a good one. For Micah said: Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height (Micah 3:12). And Jeremiah further said: I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth (Jeremiah 26:9). And they devised a plan, thinking that what Micah had prophesied would not come to pass, because a long time had passed without it happening due to the people's repentance. And this also, that Jeremiah spoke, it will by no means happen if they follow his counsel in their good ways and pursuits, and listen to the voice of the Lord their God, so that the Lord does not bring upon them the evil that he had threatened. At the same time, they break the fury of the accusers and join with them saying: Therefore, we commit great evil against our own souls: not that they should do so, but because if they do, they will not harm the accused, but their own souls, which they can free through a change of sentence.
26:20-24
(Verse 20 onwards) There was also a prophet man in the name of the Lord, Uriah, the son of Shemai from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah. And King Jehoiakim and all his powerful men and officials heard these words, and the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid, so he fled and went to Egypt. And what follows: King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, and his men with him, but it is not found in the Septuagint. Your question: And they brought Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to King Joakim, and he struck him with a sword, and cast his body in the graves of the common people. However, the great Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he would not be handed over to the people to be killed. It is asked why Uriah the son of Shimei from the town of Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied the same things as Jeremiah, was terrified and fled to Egypt, and when he returned, he was killed; and yet Jeremiah was able to escape, even though he certainly did not flee, but boldly persisted in his previous judgment, and was freed from the judgment of both the common people and the rulers, as well as the advice of the elders, against the accusers, the priests, and the false prophets. To briefly respond to this: it is not at all possible to know the judgment of God, since the same cause and the same opinion result in one person being punished and another being set free. Unless, perhaps, we can respond by saying that Uriah was condemned and killed by the accusers and the people, while Jeremiah was reserved for the judgment of God in order to preach to the rest of the unfortunate people and bring them to repentance. This is indeed also read in the Acts of the Apostles, where we learn that the Apostle James (Acts 12) immediately endured the sentence of Herod and was rewarded with martyrdom, while blessed Peter and the other Apostles were reserved for the teaching of the Lord. And the steadfastness of the prophet Uriah is worth noting, as he did not change his opinion even when he was brought back from Egypt, but rather, seeing that death was being planned against him, he still spoke the words that the Lord had commanded. And his fear and flight and entry into Egypt are not signs of unfaithfulness, but rather of prudence: so that we do not offer ourselves to dangers in vain. Otherwise, we also read of the Lord and Savior falling into the hands of those who pursued him (Luke 4, John 8); and he commanded the Apostles: 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another' (Matthew 10, 23). It is also asked how Joacim, the king of Judah, of small and weakened empire, and already on the verge of perishing, had the power to send to Egypt and bring back Uriah. This is easily solved if we consider that he was appointed a ruler by the king of Egypt, Nechao, and this prophecy was made at the beginning of his reign. Although Jeremiah was freed by the help of the Lord, it is also attributed to Uriah as the one through whom the Lord freed his prophet. This Uriah is, of course, the son of Stephan, as we will read later, when Jeremiah is freed from the danger of death by the advice and assistance of Abdelech the Ethiopian eunuch (Jeremiah 38).
27:1
(Chapter 27 - Verse 1) In the beginning of the reign of Joachim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying. This is not found in the Septuagint edition. And many think that the beginning of the following chapter should be joined to the previous one, so that whatever is said and done in the beginning of Joachim's reign is believed to have happened. Hence, he had the power to send to Egypt, as to a friendly king. But it seems to me that they have deliberately omitted this title for the following reason, so that they would not appear to be contradicting themselves. For they had already stated at the beginning: In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord to Jeremiah, saying.
27:2
(Verse 2.) This is what the Lord says to me: Make for yourself chains and shackles. Or κλοιοὺς, which are called Mutoth () in Hebrew, and in the common language they are called Boias.
27:3-4
(Verse 3, 4.) And you shall put them on your shoulder, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of messengers who came to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. And you shall command them to speak to their masters: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. You shall say this to your masters. The past vision was given at the beginning to the prophet of the reign of Joachim, son of Josiah, king of Judah. But these things happened under Zedekiah, who was the last ruler of Jerusalem, and under whom the city was captured and destroyed. And Jeremiah was commanded to put chains, or wooden yokes called "Mutoth" in Hebrew, around his neck and send them to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, through the messengers who had come to Zedekiah. And he was to instruct his messengers to announce that they should serve King Nebuchadnezzar and listen to what the following prophecy says. And so that perhaps the ambassadors and kings of those nations would respond, why do you not command this to your people? It also speaks similar things to King Zedekiah, and to the priests and prophets. This passage is always understood allegorically (by Origen), and fleeing from the truth, it interprets the heavenly Jerusalem, that its inhabitants should willingly take on bodies and descend into Babylon, that is, the confusion of this world which is placed in evil, and serve the Babylonian king, undoubtedly the devil. But if they refuse to do this, they will by no means bear heavy burdens; instead, they will perish by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence; and they will not become men, but demons. He said this so that his defenders do not accuse us of slander. However, let us follow a simple and true history, so that we are not entangled in certain clouds and deceptions.
27:5
(Verse 5.) I made the earth and man, and the animals that are on the face of the earth, by my great strength and by my outstretched arm, and I gave it to him whom it pleased in my eyes. Although this Scripture speaks anthropomorphically, how can we humans speak and understand: nevertheless, the strength of God and his arm is the one about whom the Apostle speaks: Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). And Isaiah says: Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1) John the Evangelist also writes: All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made. (John 1:3) David also speaks in his song: By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. (Psalm 33:6) And when he says, I have given her to him whom it pleased me, it signifies that all things are given to the human race through the grace of God. I, he says, made the earth, and man, and animals (Psalm 35). The reverse order. In Genesis, indeed, animals are created first, and the last is man (Genesis 1), but here it names man first, and afterwards those things that are subject to man.
27:6-7
(Verse 6, 7.) Now therefore I have given all these lands into the hand of my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon: and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son. How then is Israel in a state of misery, when compared to him, Nebuchadnezzar, the servant of God? It is written in the Gospel: The world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (John 1:10). Therefore, the creator rightly hands over his creation to whom he wishes. Moreover, even the devil, in whose likeness Nebuchadnezzar preceded, confesses: all these things have been handed over to me. And what he has brought in: Moreover, I have also given him the beasts of the field to serve him, or rather we should understand all kinds of animals; for indeed, both man and those things that are subject to them are handed over to them; or certainly, let us accept that wild beasts are also savage tribes, in that they also serve, whereas previously they did not know how to serve. But his son, and the son of his son, according to the Hebrew, is called Belshazzar and Evil-Merodach, about whom Daniel writes.
Until the time comes for its land and itself. So that the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar would not be thought to be everlasting, it is said that it will be taken by the Medes and Persians. For this is what it means: Until the time comes for its land and itself. But this is not included in the Septuagint.
And many nations and great kings shall serve him. It is not said, all: for this empire properly belongs to Christ, even though it is not read according to Symmachus: And many nations and great kings shall serve him; but many nations and great kings shall subject themselves to him in servitude, so that he himself may also serve the Medes and Persians, to whom all nations had previously served. This is what we have put from the Hebrew: I have given him that they may serve him, and all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his grandson, until the time of his land and himself come: and in servitude when many nations and great kings shall subject themselves, it is not read in the Septuagint (as we have already said) edition.