Di Scroll inside Fire

Na one cold evening for winter time. Fire dey glow inside one fire pot for di king room. One man dey read loud from one long scroll. And every time e finish few columns, di king go bend with one small knife, cut dem comot, and throw dem inside di fire.

Na di fourth year of King Jehoiakim of Judah, about six hundred and five years before Christ. Babylon dey rise for di north. For more than twenty years di prophet Jeremiah don dey warn God people: turn from idols and injustice, or disaster go come. Now God give am new instruction. Take one scroll, God talk, and write every word wey I don talk to you. Maybe when di people hear all di trouble wey I plan to bring, each one go turn from im evil way, and I go forgive dem. So Jeremiah call im friend Baruch, one scribe. Jeremiah dey talk, and Baruch dey write everything down, with ink, line after line.

But one problem dey. Dem don block Jeremiah from di temple. So e send Baruch. Go, e talk, for one day of fasting when people from all di towns of Judah dey there, and read di scroll loud. Months after, for di ninth month, dem call fast. Crowd full di temple courts. Baruch go up to one room wey belong to one official wey im name na Gemariah, near di New Gate, and e read di whole scroll so di people go hear. Gemariah son Micaiah listen to every word, and then e run go di palace, where di royal officials dey meet. E tell dem everything. Dem send one man wey im name na Jehudi: bring Baruch, and bring di scroll.

Baruch sit down for di officials front and read am give dem. When dem hear am, dem look each other, and fear catch dem. We must tell di king all dis tins, dem talk. But first dem ask Baruch: how you take write am? E answer simple: Jeremiah talk every word to me, and I write dem with ink for di book. And di officials, wey know di kind king wey dem dey serve, warn am. Go hide, you and Jeremiah; and make nobody know where una dey. Dem keep di scroll safe for one scribe room, and dem go meet di king.

King Jehoiakim dey sit down for im house wey e dey use for cold season, with fire wey dey burn for im front. E send Jehudi go bring di scroll, and Jehudi read am loud give di king and all im officials. And after every three or four columns, di king go cut dem with scribe knife and throw dem inside di fire, until di whole scroll finish. Three of di officials beg am make e no burn am. E no gree listen. Nobody tear im cloth for sorrow. Fear no catch anybody. Instead, di king order make dem arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But di Bible talk am simple: Di Lord hide dem. And then God talk to Jeremiah again. Take another scroll. Write inside am all di words wey dey di first one, di one wey Jehoiakim burn. So Jeremiah talk, and Baruch write again. Every word come back. And dem add plenty more words. King fit burn scroll. E no fit burn God word.

Dem dey make di scrolls of old time with papyrus or leather, dem roll am, and di writing dey run for columns along di length of di roll. Di word wey di King James Bible translate as leaves na di Hebrew word delet, wey usually mean door. Here e mean one of dose columns of writing wey be like door. So di king dey cut di scroll few columns at a time as dem dey read am, and e dey burn am piece by piece.

You go find dis story for Jeremiah chapter thirty-six. King wey try to destroy God word, and prophet and scribe wey just write am again. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When God word talk something wey you no wan hear, how you go answer?