Day 242: The Role of King Nebuchadnezzar (2026)

**Fr. Mike Schmitz** (0:04)
Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to The Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story unfolds and how we fit into that story today. Speaking of today, it is day 242 We're reading today from Jeremiah chapter 26 and 27, also Daniel 8 and 9, and Proverbs chapter 16 verses 9 to 12 As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe in whatever place you listen to an app, unless it doesn't allow you to do that, in which case you are out of luck. But nonetheless, here we are, on day 242 with Jeremiah 26 and 27, Daniel 8 and 9 in Proverbs 16 verses 9 through 12
The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 26 Jeremiah Threatened with Death. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord. Thus says the Lord, stand in the court of the Lord's house and speak to all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them. Do not hold back a word. It may be they will listen, and everyone turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the evil which I intend to do to them because of their evil doings. You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law which I have set before you, and to heed the words of my servants, the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not heeded, then I will make this house like Shiloh. I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth. The priests and the 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, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him saying, You shall die. Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without inhabitant? And all the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house to the house of the Lord, and took their seat in the entry of the new gate of the house of the Lord. Then the priests and the prophets said to the princes and to all the people, This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city as you have heard with your own ears. Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent of the evil which he has pronounced against you. But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as it seems good and right to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.
Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God. And certain of the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people saying, Micah of Morisheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah, thus says the Lord of hosts, Zion shall be plowed as a field, Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins and the mountain of the house a wooded height. Did Hezekiah, king of Judah, and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord, and did not the Lord repent of the evil which he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great evil upon ourselves. There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah, the son of Shemaiah from Keriath-Jerim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah. And when Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all his princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. Then King Jehoiakim sent to Egypt certain men, El-Nathan, the son of Achbor, and others with him. And they fetched Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who slew him with the sword and cast his dead body into the burial place of the common people. But the hand of Ahikam, the son of Shephan, was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.