{ "lessonDate": "2026-10-27", "lessonNumber": 135, "lessonTitle": "Jeremiah 36 — \"Take Thee Again Another Roll\"", "semester": "fall-2026-ot", "source": "Seminary manual, Lesson 135 — Jeremiah 36, The Word of God", "scriptureBlock": "Jeremiah 31–33; 36–38; Lamentations 1; 3", "bookName": "JEREMIAH 36", "deckType": "scripture", "lessonObjective": "Let students watch a king destroy the word of God and get a longer one back, name the modern ways of never reaching the part that would correct them, and leave with a time tomorrow morning and one question to take into the text.", "doctrinePrinciple": "The scriptures were given so that we would turn to the Lord and be forgiven. That is their purpose — not information. The word of God outlasts everyone who has ever tried to be rid of it; the only thing anyone can really do is not read it.", "personalScriptureStudy": { "chapters": "Jeremiah 36:1–3, 20–24, 27–28, 32", "questions": "Read verses 1 to 3 and find the two reasons the Lord gives for writing the words down — both of them are in verse 3, and neither one is 'so they would know more.' Then read 20 to 24 and watch exactly what the king does with the scroll while it is being read to him. Finish at verse 32 and find the four words at the end that say what happened to the book after it burned." }, "teacherNote": "START AT THE PURPOSE, NOT THE STORY, or the story will eat the lesson. Jeremiah 36:3 gives the reason the words were written: 'that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.' Have them mark both phrases and write the truth beside them — the scriptures help us turn to the Lord and receive His forgiveness. That is the doctrine of the day and everything else is evidence for it. THE MANUAL'S OPENER IS BETTER THAN IT LOOKS AND IT IS TWO MINUTES: how would someone who cares about you respond if you had food in your teeth? If you were about to walk into a party you were excited for and they knew what was happening there? What makes a person speak up, and what happens if they stay quiet? Then the turn: Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ see what we do not, They want the best for us, and the scriptures are how They speak up (2 Nephi 32:3; Doctrine and Covenants 1:37–38). The scriptures are a friend telling you the truth, and you already know how you react to that. BUILD THE BOARD LIST BEFORE THE STORY. Ask how the scriptures help us turn to the Lord and be forgiven, write every answer, then hand out 2 Timothy 3:16, Alma 37:8 and Helaman 15:7 and have them add to it. Keep the list up — it is what the princes argue with in the role-play. TELL THE STORY YOURSELF, IT IS WORTH NINETY SECONDS OF NARRATION. Jeremiah was shut up and could not go, so Baruch wrote the words and read them aloud at the temple, then to the princes, who took the scroll to King Jehoiakim (36:4–10, 14–15, 20–21). THE DETAIL IS THE WHOLE POINT: the king was in the winterhouse with a fire on the hearth, and as Jehudi read three or four leaves the king cut them off with a penknife and threw them in the fire, piece by piece, until the whole roll was gone (36:22–23). He did not throw the book across the room. He sat there and did it a few pages at a time, while it was being read. Ask them what kind of person does it that way. 36:24 IS THE VERSE THAT CARRIES THE LESSON AND IT NEEDS THE CROSS-REFERENCE TO LAND: 'Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments.' Jehoiakim's father was Josiah, and when the book of the law was read to Josiah he tore his clothes and sent to inquire of the Lord (2 Kings 22:11–13). Same family, same house, the same kind of book read out loud — and opposite responses. Put the two verses side by side on the board. The difference is not information; both men heard it. VERSE 25 IS FOR THE ROLE-PLAY. Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah 'had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.' Threes, each student one prince, and they prepare what they would say to the king using the board list. Have one group come up; you be the king, which is safer than making a student be the one who refuses. Let them try to persuade you and do not fold too fast — then take the manual's option and let a group play the ending where the king is persuaded. Follow it with the real question: what modern situation would that same argument help a young person with? THEN VERSE 32, AND DO NOT GIVE IT AWAY EARLY. The Lord tells Jeremiah to take another roll and write all the former words in it, and the chapter ends: 'and there were added besides unto them many like words.' He burned it and got a longer one. Let a student be the one to notice. That is the moment the class will remember in five years. ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON IS THE CLOSE: 'Through the scriptures, God does indeed show forth his power to save and exalt His children. By His word … He enlarges our memory, sheds light on falsehood and error, and brings us to repentance and to rejoice in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer' ('The Blessing of Scripture,' Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 33). Alma 37:14 is the 'show forth his power' reference he is citing; have them turn to it. THIS IS THE RIGHT DAY FOR THE READING GOALS, so use it. Seminary required reading and personal study goals both come up naturally here, and the manual asks for it. But make the ask about turning rather than about pages — the question is not whether they are caught up, it is whether reading has ever actually turned them toward the Lord. Ask it that way and you will get an honest answer. GIVE THEM TIME TO WRITE BEFORE THEY TALK on the reflection question; the manual says so and it is right. Thirty seconds of silence changes the quality of what comes back. THEME LINK, PANEL FOUR, AND IT IS EXACT: pride — 'I'm fine.' I am not thirsty. Jehoiakim is panel four sitting in a warm room by a fire, cutting up the only thing that could have told him the house was coming down. He was not ignorant and he was not angry; he was comfortable. The tell for panel four is not hostility, it is a man who is not afraid. Do not let them picture a villain. THE WEEK: Monday He writes His law in your heart, today you meet the man who burned the words that do the writing, Wednesday you find out what He does when you break it anyway, Thursday you go to His house. TIMING: the speak-up opener two minutes, purpose and the board list six, the story and the penknife five, Josiah alongside it three, the role-play eight, verse 32 and Christofferson four, reading goals and the reflection two, journals at 7:05. If you run long, cut the role-play to one group — but do not cut verse 32 and do not cut Josiah.", "cards": [ { "card": 0, "sectionName": "CONTEXT SETUP", "tagline": "A King. A Penknife.", "title": "JEREMIAH 36 — CONTEXT SETUP", "subtitle": "He Burned The Scroll Three Pages At A Time. Then It Came Back Longer.", "columnHead": "THE CHAPTER AT A GLANCE", "bullets": [ "The Lord tells Jeremiah to write it all down.", "The reason is in verse 3: that they may return.", "Jeremiah is shut up, so Baruch writes and reads.", "The princes carry the scroll to King Jehoiakim.", "He is in the winterhouse, with a fire on the hearth.", "Three or four leaves at a time, into the fire.", "The Lord says: take thee again another roll." ], "keyFacts": { "Author": "Jeremiah, dictated to Baruch the scribe", "Type": "Narrative — what a king did with the word of God", "Setting": "Jerusalem, the fourth year of Jehoiakim", "Key Phrase": "\"Take thee again another roll\"", "Main Themes": "Scripture, repentance, forgiveness, hard hearts", "Christ Connection": "The words exist so we will turn to Him and be forgiven (Jeremiah 36:3)" }, "bandHeading": "SIX STEPS FROM THE SCROLL TO THE FIRE", "timeline": [ { "title": "WRITE IT DOWN", "ref": "Jeremiah 36:2", "text": "All the words He has spoken." }, { "title": "SO THEY RETURN", "ref": "Jeremiah 36:3", "text": "And I may forgive them." }, { "title": "BARUCH READS", "ref": "Jeremiah 36:8", "text": "The prophet could not go." }, { "title": "A PENKNIFE", "ref": "Jeremiah 36:23", "text": "Three or four leaves at a time." }, { "title": "NOT AFRAID", "ref": "Jeremiah 36:24", "text": "His father had torn his clothes." }, { "title": "WRITE IT AGAIN", "ref": "Jeremiah 36:32", "text": "And many like words added." } ], "scrollQuote": { "text": "That they may return every man from his evil way.", "attribution": "Jeremiah 36:3" }, "artPrompt": "A warm painterly golden-hour interior of an ancient stone chamber at dawn with a low fire burning on a hearth and a rolled parchment scroll lying on a wooden bench nearby, warm light on the stone walls." }, { "card": 1, "sectionName": "DIRECT TEXT INTERACTION & AI", "tagline": "Burned. Then Longer.", "title": "JEREMIAH 36 — DIRECT TEXT INTERACTION & AI", "subtitle": "Two Men Heard The Same Book Read Aloud. One Tore His Clothes.", "focusHead": "OUR FOCUS TODAY", "focusText": "Find the two reasons verse 3 gives for writing the words down, then compare what Jehoiakim did when he heard them with what his father Josiah did.", "scripturesHead": "TODAY'S SCRIPTURES", "scriptureKey": "The key: Jeremiah 36:3, 24, 32", "scriptureList": [ "Jeremiah 36:1–3 — write it; that they may return", "Jeremiah 36:20–23 — the penknife and the hearth", "Jeremiah 36:24 — not afraid, nor rent their garments", "Jeremiah 36:25 — three princes asked him not to", "Jeremiah 36:27–28, 32 — another roll, with more added", "2 Kings 22:11 — his father tore his clothes instead" ], "aiUseHead": "HOW WE USE AI", "aiUse": [ "Compare: Jehoiakim's reaction against Josiah's.", "Unpack: Why burn it a few pages at a time?", "Trace: What happened to Jehoiakim afterward?", "Stay Spiritual: AI supports — the Spirit teaches." ], "aiPromptHead": "AI PROMPT TO TRY", "aiPrompt": "\"In Jeremiah 36 the Lord has Jeremiah write His words on a scroll so the people of Judah will turn back and be forgiven. King Jehoiakim listens to it being read, cuts it up three or four pages at a time with a penknife, and burns it, and verse 24 says he and his servants were not afraid and did not tear their garments. Explain why that detail matters, and compare it with what his father King Josiah did when the book of the law was read to him in 2 Kings 22:11-13. Then explain what the Lord does in Jeremiah 36:27-28 and 32, and what the last phrase of verse 32 adds to the point.\"", "afterHead": "AFTER YOU GET A RESULT", "after": [ "Mark both purposes in verse 3.", "Write 'Josiah tore his' by verse 24.", "Underline the last line of verse 32." ], "rememberHead": "REMEMBER", "rememberText": "Jehoiakim was not angry and he was not ignorant — verse 24 says he was not afraid. He heard the whole thing and stayed comfortable. That is the version of this you have to watch for in yourself.", "bandHeading": "EXAMPLE QUESTIONS WE CAN EXPLORE WITH AI", "bandQuestions": [ "Why write it down?", "Why burn it slowly?", "What did burning cost him?", "Why was it longer after?", "What did Josiah do?" ], "scrollQuote": { "text": "Take thee again another roll.", "attribution": "Jeremiah 36:28" }, "artPrompt": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of a scribe's hands at a low table writing with a reed pen on fresh parchment at sunrise, ink pot and a second blank roll beside him, warm light through a window." }, { "card": 2, "sectionName": "TALK ABOUT EXPERIENCE", "tagline": "Penknife. Or Heart.", "title": "JEREMIAH 36 — TALK ABOUT EXPERIENCE", "subtitle": "Nobody Burns A Scroll Now. There Are Easier Ways Not To Read It.", "goalHead": "DISCUSSION GOAL", "goalText": "Work out what separates two people who hear the same words, and name honestly the modern ways of keeping the scriptures nearby without ever reaching the part that would correct you.", "howHead": "HOW TO DISCUSS", "how": [ "Answer each other, not only the teacher.", "The honest answers are the useful ones.", "No advice unless somebody asks for it.", "Keep the Savior at the center." ], "aiHead": "CONTINUE TO USE AI", "aiText": "Pick one thing off the board list of how scriptures turn us to the Lord, and find a story in the scriptures where exactly that happened to somebody.", "questionsHead": "THINK ABOUT THESE TOGETHER", "questions": [ "Jehoiakim heard it and was not afraid. His father heard the same kind of book and tore his clothes. What makes the difference, if it is not information?", "What are the modern ways of cutting out three or four leaves at a time — never throwing it away, just never getting to the part that would correct you?", "Verse 3 says the point was so people could return and be forgiven. When has reading actually turned you toward the Lord, rather than just told you something?" ], "bandHeading": "EXAMPLE QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS", "bandQuestions": [ "Why was he not afraid?", "Which pages do I skip?", "Have I ever been turned?", "Who speaks up for me?", "What is reading for?" ], "scrollQuote": { "text": "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments.", "attribution": "Jeremiah 36:24" }, "artPrompt": "A natural photograph of a teenager sitting on the floor against a bed in early morning light with an open set of scriptures on their knees and a phone face-down on the carpet beside them." }, { "card": 3, "sectionName": "CHRIST-CENTERED ACTION", "tagline": "Read To Return.", "title": "JEREMIAH 36 — CHRIST-CENTERED ACTION", "subtitle": "The Scroll Was Never For Information. It Was For Coming Back.", "columns": [ { "head": "START WITH JESUS", "text": "The words were written so people could return and be forgiven. He is who they return to, He is the one who forgives, and every page of it testifies of Him.", "citation": "See Jeremiah 36:3; John 5:39; 2 Nephi 32:3.", "art": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of the resurrected Savior in white robes standing on a hillside path at sunrise looking toward the viewer with open hands, bright valley behind Him, no other symbols in the scene." }, { "head": "YOU CANNOT BURN IT", "text": "Jehoiakim destroyed the scroll with his own hands and the Lord replied by making it longer. Nobody has ever succeeded at getting rid of the word of God.", "citation": "See Jeremiah 36:32; Isaiah 40:8; Doctrine and Covenants 1:38.", "art": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of a thick ancient book lying open on a stone ledge at dawn with wind moving the pages, dry grass around it, long light across the stone." }, { "head": "IT SHOWS HIS POWER", "text": "Elder Christofferson: through the scriptures God shows forth His power to save. They enlarge our memory, expose error, and bring us to repentance and to rejoice in Christ.", "citation": "See Alma 37:8, 14; Helaman 15:7; 2 Timothy 3:16.", "art": "A warm painterly golden-hour scene of a teenager reading at a kitchen table at sunrise with a notebook open beside the scriptures, first light coming through the window behind them." } ], "ideasHead": "IDEAS: HOW DO I ACTUALLY READ?", "ideas": [ "Read before you scroll.", "Read the part that stings.", "Mark one verse a day.", "Pray before you open it.", "Take a question in.", "Read it out loud." ], "planHead": "MAKE A PLAN", "planQuestion": "When tomorrow will you open it, and what will you do with the part that corrects you?", "plan": [ "What time, and where exactly?", "What is your one question going in?", "What will you do when it corrects you?" ], "challengeHead": "CHALLENGE THIS WEEK", "challengeText": "Read every day until Monday at the time you wrote down, and when something corrects you, write it down instead of moving past it — then do one thing about it before the week is over.", "rememberHead": "REMEMBER", "rememberText": "A king burned it and the Lord sent it back longer. You are not capable of losing this. The only thing you can actually do is not read it.", "scrollQuote": { "text": "The word of our God shall stand for ever.", "attribution": "Isaiah 40:8" }, "artPrompt": "" } ], "journalPrompt": "Write the time tomorrow morning you are going to read, and where you will be sitting. Then write the one question you are taking in with you — a real one you actually want answered. Underneath, answer this honestly and nobody will read it: which three or four leaves have you been cutting out? Name the part of the gospel you keep not getting to, and write what you would have to be afraid of, in the good way, for that to change." }