16. Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, "This man doesn’t deserve to die, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God."
17. A few of the community elders got up and addressed the whole crowd:
18. "Micah of Moresheth, who prophesied during the rule of Judah’s Hezekiah, said to all the people of Judah, ‘The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:Zion will be plowed down like a field,Jerusalem will become piles of rubble,and the temple mount will become an overgrown mound.’
19. “Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah execute him? Didn’t he instead fear the Lord and plead for his mercy? Then the Lord relented of the harm that he had pronounced against them. We are about to commit a huge mistake that will cost us our lives."
20. There was another man who prophesied in the Lord’s name: Uriah, Shemaiah’s son from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied the same things that Jeremiah did about this city and against this land.
21. When King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and officials heard his words, the king sought to kill him. Uriah heard of this and fled in fear to Egypt.
22. But King Jehoiakim dispatched Elnathan, Achbor’s son, and others to Egypt.
23. They brought Uriah back from Egypt to the king who had him killed, and his body was thrown into the common burial ground.
24. But Ahikam, Shaphan’s son, protected Jeremiah and wouldn’t let the people execute him.