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Burn-Proof

A king burns God’s word, a king who believes won’t obey, and one palace servant becomes the hero

  • ⭐ Valiant 9–11
  • Week 44
  • 📅 Sunday, November 1, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

God’s word can’t be burned out of a heart that keeps His covenants, and knowing it’s true only matters when I have the courage to act on it.

I can keep God’s word written in my heart and speak up for what’s right, even when I’m the only one.

Study it yourself firstRead Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3)
Know the chapters

Jeremiah had been warning Jerusalem for decades. Chapter 36 happens in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim. Chapters 37–39 happen years later under King Zedekiah, while Babylon’s army surrounds the city. Zedekiah is the same king named in 1 Nephi 1:4, so Lehi and Jeremiah were prophets in Jerusalem at the same time. Nephi even mentions that the people had thrown Jeremiah into prison (1 Nephi 7:14), and the brass plates held Jeremiah’s prophecies (1 Nephi 5:13). Your 9–11s will love discovering that the Book of Mormon starts in the middle of this week’s reading.

Jeremiah 36:2–3 tells why the Lord wanted His words written down: so people would hear them, turn from evil, and be forgiven. Baruch writes the scroll and reads it at the temple. When it’s read to King Jehoiakim beside his winter fire, he slices it off a few columns at a time with a penknife and burns the whole thing. Nobody is afraid; only three princes (Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah) plead with him to stop. The Lord hides Jeremiah and Baruch, then has them write it all again, with “many like words” added (36:32). A king can burn paper. He can’t stop the word of God.

Zedekiah is a fascinating case study for this age. He secretly asks Jeremiah, “Is there any word from the LORD?” (37:17), protects him a little, and swears not to kill him, yet he hands Jeremiah over to angry princes (38:5), admits he’s afraid of being mocked (38:19), and never obeys. He believed, but he didn’t follow. Compare Lehi, who heard the same warnings and left (1 Nephi 2:1–4). Then there’s Ebed-melech: an Ethiopian, a foreigner and a servant with no power, who goes to the king in public and says what everyone else is too scared to say (38:7–9). He brings thirty men, cords and old rags so the ropes won’t hurt, and the Lord later promises to deliver him “because thou hast put thy trust in me” (39:18).

Jeremiah 31:31–34 promises a new covenant with God’s law written “in their hearts,” and Lamentations, a book of grief poems about Jerusalem’s fall, still shouts hope: His compassions are “new every morning” (3:22–23). Your 11-year-olds are close to big steps: in January of the year they turn 12 they can receive a limited-use temple recommend, join a deacons quorum or Young Women class, and keep setting Children and Youth goals. The recommend interview asks whether they strive to live the laws and commandments of the gospel. Living them from the inside out is exactly what it means to have God’s law written in your heart, not just on paper.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Jeremiah 36 and 38:1–13. Grab a rope or scarf and a rag. Run the Story Drama from your phone or tablet and let three kids read the marked verses. Play Believe It or Not, Zedekiah?, then Forehead Guess, and end with Lamentations 3:22–23. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing” and the scroll, fire and rope all go invisible.

What to bring7 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Put 3 sticky notes or bookmarks in your scriptures: Jeremiah 36:3, 36:23 and 38:9. These are the verses your three Scripture Readers will read aloud during the drama.
  2. Write Jeremiah 31:33 in big letters on the whiteboard or paper: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
  3. Roll and tape the scroll. Crumple colored paper into the basket for the fire. Tie the rag to one end of the rope.
  4. Read the six Believe It or Not, Zedekiah? statements in the wiggle step so you can call them out quickly.
  5. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out roles and readers with one tap.

If your class is wild

  • Day-after-Halloween energy: start the Scribe Race standing up and keep the drama moving. If they fade, launch Forehead Guess early.
  • Give your strongest readers the Scripture Reader parts and your most dramatic kid King Jehoiakim. Three strips of scroll, then he’s done.
  • In the rescue, nobody drags anybody. Jeremiah holds the rope and walks himself up while the crew pulls hand over hand.
  • Nine- to eleven-year-olds love being right. In Believe It or Not, ask one kid per round to defend their choice with the verse.
  • If an older kid is too cool to act, make them the director: they call “Action!” and cue the Sound Board.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

The Scribe Race

3 min

A fast writing race (and a sudden “burning”) makes kids feel what Baruch went through.

  1. Pick two scribes and give each paper and a pencil. Everyone else stands behind them as the crowd.
  2. SAY“I’m Jeremiah. Write exactly what I say.” Dictate quickly: “That they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
  3. The moment they finish, snatch one page and tear it up. Say: “The king just burned your scroll. Rewrite it. You have 30 seconds, and the crowd can help from memory.” Start a countdown.
  4. Ask: “Why would the Lord want His words written down in the first place?” Read Jeremiah 36:3 and let kids find the two reasons: so people turn around, and so He can forgive.
  5. SAY“Today a king burns an entire book of scripture. Let’s see who wins.”
🌪️ Scribes sit; everyone else stands behind them with hands in pockets. Shout-helpers lose a clue turn in Forehead Guess.

Class screen: ✍️ Scribe Race: write it fast before the king burns it! · Write it · Lose it · Rewrite it!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A few sheets of scratch paper and 2 pencils or pens (the Scribe Race)

The Human Scroll

  1. Line everyone up shoulder to shoulder. Say: “You are the scroll. I’m Jeremiah. Each of you gets words to remember.”
  2. Walk down the line and give each kid 2–3 words of the phrase in order: “That they may return / every man / from his evil way; / that I may forgive / their iniquity / and their sin.” The line says it back, each kid saying their part.
  3. Become the king: “RRRIP!” Tap two kids who must sit down, burned. Say: “Can the scroll still say the whole message?” The rest of the line has 30 seconds to cover the missing words.
  4. Ask: “Why would the Lord want His words written down in the first place?” Read Jeremiah 36:3 and let kids find the two reasons: so people turn around, and so He can forgive.
  5. SAY“Today a king burns an entire book of scripture. Let’s see who wins.”

Class screen: 📜 You are the scroll! Can the king burn you? · Say your words · Survive the fire

2. Story

Story Drama: The Scroll, the King and the Pit

7 min

Two true stories show that God’s word can’t be destroyed and that one ordinary person with courage can change everything.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Pick three Scripture Readers and show them their marked verses: Jeremiah 36:3, 36:23 and 38:9. Everyone else is the crowd and the Rescue Crew.
  2. Give the king the scroll and set the fire basket beside him.
  3. Read each scene aloud. When a scene says a Scripture Reader reads, pause and let them read the real verse.
  4. After scene 6, ask: “Who won, the king or the word of God?”
  5. For the rescue, Jeremiah sits holding the rope. The crew pulls hand over hand while Jeremiah walks himself up. Nobody drags anybody.
  6. Finish with one question: “Ebed-melech had no title and wasn’t even from Israel. Why was he the one who spoke up?” Take two answers, then move on.
🌪️ The king gets three strips of scroll, then he’s done. Give him a job: loudly saying “Hmph” every time someone pleads.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama: two true stories, one brave hero · Everyone has a part · Readers, find your verse!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: One sheet of paper rolled into a scroll and taped (the king’s scroll), A jump rope, clothesline or long scarf, plus an old rag, sock or dish towel (the “old rotten rags”), A basket or box with crumpled red, orange and yellow paper inside (a pretend fire; no real flames!)

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Pick three Scripture Readers and have them read from your scriptures or your phone or tablet: Jeremiah 36:3, 36:23 and 38:9.
  2. Everything is invisible today. Baruch writes an invisible scroll. Each time the king slices off a strip, the whole class says “Shhhk!” and you tap the fire sound on the Sound Board.
  3. Four crew members crouch together and wiggle their fingers up high as the winter fire.
  4. Read each scene aloud and pause for readers and actions. After scene 6, ask: “Who won, the king or the word of God?”
  5. For the rescue, Ebed-melech lowers an invisible rope and rags. Jeremiah tucks them under his arms. The crew pulls hand over hand in the air, “Heave!”, while Jeremiah walks himself up as if the rope were lifting him. Nobody touches anybody.
  6. Finish with one question: “Ebed-melech had no title and wasn’t even from Israel. Why was he the one who spoke up?”
3. Wiggle break

Believe It or Not, Zedekiah?

2 min

A stand-or-crouch game shows the difference between believing a prophet and actually following him.

  1. SAY“King Zedekiah believed Jeremiah was a real prophet. But did he act like it? Stand tall if what he did shows faith. Crouch low if fear won.”
  2. Call these out fast: 1) He secretly asks Jeremiah, “Is there any word from the LORD?” (37:17) · 2) He has Jeremiah moved to the prison court and given bread every day (37:21) · 3) The princes want Jeremiah dead, and he says, “He is in your hand” (38:5) · 4) He lets Ebed-melech take thirty men to the rescue (38:10) · 5) Jeremiah pleads “Obey,” and Zedekiah says he’s afraid people will mock him (38:19–20) · 6) He tells Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words” (38:24).
  3. Answers: stand, stand, crouch, stand, crouch, crouch. After each, invite one kid to say why.
  4. SAY“Zedekiah knew the truth, but he was more afraid of people than he trusted God. Lehi heard the same warnings in the same city, and he obeyed and left (1 Nephi 2). Knowing isn’t enough. Following is what counts.”
🌪️ Make it a speed round: last one to move sits out one turn and becomes the judge.

Class screen: 🤴 Stand for faith. Crouch when fear wins. · Did he believe? · Did he follow?

4. Scripture

Burn-Down Memory: Jeremiah 31:33

4 min

Kids memorize the new-covenant verse while “burning” words away, and connect it to their baptism and future temple covenants.

  1. Pick a kid to be the Verse Leader. They read Jeremiah 31:33 from the board, then teach the class the motions.
  2. Burn-down: each round, the Verse Leader erases two words and the class says the whole verse again. Keep going until the board is blank and they’re saying it from memory.
  3. SAY“A king can burn a scroll. Nobody can erase what’s written in your heart.”
  4. Ask: “What promises did you make at baptism? What does God promise back?” (Mosiah 18:8–10 lists them: remember Him, keep His commandments, help and comfort others; He pours out His Spirit.)
  5. SAY“Some of you can go to the temple starting in January of the year you turn 12. The recommend interview asks if you strive to live the commandments of the gospel. That’s this verse: God’s law written on the inside, not just in a book.”

Class screen: 🔥 Burn it off the board. Keep it in your heart. · Jeremiah 31:33

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A whiteboard and marker, or a big sheet of paper and a marker (the key verse)

Clap-Out Memory: Jeremiah 31:33

  1. Show the verse on your phone or tablet. Pick a kid to be the Verse Leader. They read Jeremiah 31:33, then teach the class the motions.
  2. Clap-out: each round, the Verse Leader chooses two more words that are now “burned.” Instead of saying them, the class claps. By the end the verse is mostly claps, then turn your phone or tablet face down and say it all from memory.
  3. SAY“A king can burn a scroll. Nobody can erase what’s written in your heart.”
  4. Ask: “What promises did you make at baptism? What does God promise back?” (Mosiah 18:8–10 lists them: remember Him, keep His commandments, help and comfort others; He pours out His Spirit.)
  5. SAY“Some of you can go to the temple starting in January of the year you turn 12. The recommend interview asks if you strive to live the commandments of the gospel. That’s this verse: God’s law written on the inside, not just in a book.”
5. Game

Forehead Guess: Burn-Proof Edition

3 min

A fast Heads Up–style round reviews the harder names and ideas from both stories.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. Pick a kid to run the timer and call “Next!” (45 seconds per guesser).
  2. The guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead facing the class. Classmates give clues without saying the word; tilt down for got it, up to pass.
  3. Hard mode for 11-year-olds: clue-givers must use a scripture fact, not just acting (“He cut the scroll with a penknife”).
🌪️ Clues come from seats with a raised hand. Shouting the answer skips your next clue turn.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! Clue without saying the word. · Hard mode: scripture facts only

6. Talk it over

Pass the Scroll

4 min

A Hot Potato twist gets everyone talking about the “why” behind courage, covenants and following prophets.

  1. Sit in a circle. Tap Hot Potato and pass the scroll while the music plays.
  2. Whoever holds it at the buzz answers the question on the screen, then picks someone else to add one idea.
  3. Share your own honest answer to at least one question, especially about a time you were afraid to speak up.
💬 Ask the class
  • Zedekiah believed Jeremiah but didn’t obey. Why do you think fear of people can beat faith?
  • Ebed-melech was a foreigner and a servant. Why might he have been braver than the princes?
  • Why do you think the Lord added more words to the second scroll instead of just replacing the first?
  • What does it look like when God’s law is written in someone’s heart, not just on paper?
  • Where might you need Ebed-melech courage this year: at school, online, or in a new quorum or class?
🌪️ The scroll is passed, never thrown. A thrown scroll goes to the teacher for one round.
🥔 Hot Potato (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 📜 Holding the scroll at the buzz? You answer!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: One sheet of paper rolled into a scroll and taped (the king’s scroll)

Pass the Invisible Scroll

  1. Sit in a circle. Unroll an invisible scroll, read it in a very official Jehudi voice (“Ahem!”), then roll it back up.
  2. Tap Hot Potato. Pass the invisible scroll while the music plays; each kid unrolls it and peeks before passing.
  3. Whoever holds it at the buzz answers the question on the screen, then picks someone else to add one idea.
  4. Share your own honest answer to at least one question, especially about a time you were afraid to speak up.
7. Testimony

Mourning into Joy

2 min

End calm with the hope in Lamentations: because of Jesus Christ, His mercy is new every morning.

  1. SAY“Jerusalem was destroyed, just like Jeremiah warned. Someone wrote sad poems about it called Lamentations. But right in the middle is this.” Have a volunteer read Lamentations 3:22–23.
  2. SAY“Earlier, in Jeremiah 31:13, the Lord promised, ‘I will turn their mourning into joy.’ Jesus Christ is how He does that. When we repent, His mercy is new every morning.”
  3. Share one or two sentences of testimony about the Savior and about a time His word gave you courage or hope.
  4. Introduce the Ebed-melech Challenge. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🌅 His mercy is new every morning. · Lamentations 3:22–23

8. Object lesson

Everlasting or Not?

4 minBONUS

Sorting things that last from things that don’t shows what “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) really means.

  1. Set out the banana, bubble wand or flower, coin and rock. Ask: “Rank these from shortest-lasting to longest-lasting.” Let a volunteer arrange them while the class argues.
  2. Ask: “Will even the coin and rock last forever?” (No. Coins wear down; rocks crumble over time.)
  3. Have a kid read Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” Ask: “Where does God’s love go in our line?” (Off the chart.)
  4. SAY“Jerusalem fell, the temple burned, and God still said this. His love doesn’t end when we mess up.”

Class screen: ♾️ Rank them: what lasts longest? · Everlasting love wins

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A banana (or apple), a bubble wand or paper flower, a coin and a rock (bonus Everlasting Sort)

  1. SAY“I’ll name things. Stand up tall if it lasts a long time; crouch if it doesn’t.” Call out: a bubble, a candy bar, your shoes, a mountain, a phone battery, a diamond.
  2. Ask: “Will even the mountain and diamond last forever?” (Not really. Everything on earth wears down eventually.)
  3. Have a kid read Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” Everyone jumps as high as they can: God’s love is off the chart.
  4. SAY“Jerusalem fell, the temple burned, and God still said this. His love doesn’t end when we mess up.”
9. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A tough team quiz reviews both stories and the Book of Mormon connection.

  1. Split into two teams and pick a captain for each. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Read each question aloud. Teams huddle for 10 seconds; only the captain may answer.
  3. Bonus point if the team can name the chapter where the answer is found.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Story drama

The Scroll, the King and the Pit

Jeremiah 36; 38:1–13; 39:15–18 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • JeremiahDictates the scroll, hides from the king, sinks in the mire and gets pulled out.
  • BaruchThe scribe. Writes every word, reads it at the temple, then writes it all again (plus more).
  • King JehoiakimSits by the winter fire, slices strips off the scroll and tosses them in. Not scared at all.
  • JehudiThe king’s reader. Reads the scroll in a very official voice while the king burns it.
  • The Three Brave PrincesElnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah. They beg the king not to burn the scroll.
  • King ZedekiahThe later king. Shrugs and lets the princes take Jeremiah, then orders the rescue.
  • Ebed-melechThe Ethiopian palace servant. Marches to the king in public and leads the rescue.
  • Scripture ReadersThree kids read Jeremiah 36:3, 36:23 and 38:9 straight from the scriptures. Everyone else is the crowd and the Rescue Crew.

Scenes

  1. 📜✍️ “Write every word in a scroll”

    In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim, the Lord told Jeremiah to write every message He had given him into one long scroll. Why? Listen to the reason.

    🎬 Scripture Reader 1 reads Jeremiah 36:3. Jeremiah dictates, Baruch writes at top speed, and the crowd scribbles in the air: “Scritch, scratch!”

  2. 🏛️📢 Baruch reads it at the temple

    Jeremiah was “shut up” and couldn’t go to the temple, so he sent Baruch. On a fasting day, with crowds from all over Judah, Baruch stood near the new gate of the Lord’s house and read every word.

    🎬 Baruch holds up the scroll and reads in a big voice. The crowd leans in and whispers, “Did he just say that?”

  3. 😨🙈 The princes: “Go and hide!”

    Some princes heard it and got nervous. They asked Baruch how he wrote it all. He said Jeremiah spoke every word, and he wrote it with ink. The princes said, “You and Jeremiah go hide, and don’t tell anyone where you are.”

    🎬 Jeremiah and Baruch tiptoe behind a chair. The crowd: “Shhh!”

  4. 👑🔥 A winter fire and a penknife

    It was winter. The king sat in his winter house with a fire burning in front of him. Jehudi read the scroll aloud, and every few columns it was sliced off with a penknife and thrown into the fire, until the whole scroll was gone.

    🎬 Scripture Reader 2 reads Jeremiah 36:23. Jehudi reads, the king tears a strip and tosses it in the fire basket. Crowd: “Crackle, crackle!”

  5. 🙏❌ Three princes beg. The king won’t listen.

    Nobody in the room was afraid, and nobody tore their clothes in sorrow. Only three princes, Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah, begged the king to stop. He ignored them and sent men to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch. But the Lord hid them.

    🎬 The Three Brave Princes kneel: “Please don’t burn it!” The king folds his arms: “Hmph.” Jeremiah and Baruch stay hidden.

  6. 📜✨ Round two: same words, plus more

    Did the king win? Not even close. The Lord told Jeremiah to take another scroll and write all the same words again. Baruch did, and the Lord added many more words besides. You can burn paper. You can’t burn the word of God.

    🎬 Baruch writes even faster. Everyone stands and chants: “Can’t burn God’s word!”

  7. 🕳️🟤 Years later: down into the mire

    Years passed. Now Zedekiah was king and Babylon’s army surrounded Jerusalem. Jeremiah kept warning the people, so some princes said he should die. King Zedekiah shrugged: “He is in your hand.” They lowered Jeremiah on cords into a deep cistern. There was no water, only mire, and Jeremiah sank in it.

    🎬 Zedekiah shrugs. Jeremiah slowly sinks to the floor. The crowd makes squishy sounds: “Squelch, squelch.”

  8. 🧑🏾📣 An outsider speaks up

    Ebed-melech was a servant in the palace, and he wasn’t even from Israel. He was from Ethiopia. When he heard what happened, he walked right up to the king, who was sitting at a city gate where everyone could see, and said what nobody else would.

    🎬 Scripture Reader 3 reads Jeremiah 38:9. Ebed-melech marches in place and points. Crowd gasps: “Whoa. He said it to the king’s face!”

  9. 🪢🧦 Thirty men, cords and old rags

    The king told him to take thirty men and get Jeremiah out before he died. Ebed-melech grabbed old worn-out rags and let them down on the cords: “Put these under your armpits, under the ropes.” He was brave AND kind.

    🎬 Ebed-melech lowers the rope with the rag. Jeremiah tucks it under his arms and holds on.

  10. 💪🎉 Up out of the pit!

    Heave! Up came Jeremiah, out of the mire. Later the Lord sent Ebed-melech a personal promise: when the city fell, he would be kept safe, “because thou hast put thy trust in me.”

    🎬 The Rescue Crew pulls hand over hand while Jeremiah walks himself up to standing. Everyone cheers for Ebed-melech.

Key verse

Jeremiah 31:33 ↗
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people”
In kid words: God promises to write His law on the inside of us, on our hearts, not just on paper. He will be our God, and we will be His people.
🙌 “I will put my law” = open hands like a book · “in their inward parts” = hands on your stomach · “and write it in their hearts” = write on your chest with one finger · “and will be their God” = point up · “and they shall be my people” = arms wide around the class.

More verses

Jeremiah 36:3 ↗
“that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin”
In kid words: The Lord wanted His words written down so people would turn around and He could forgive them.
Jeremiah 36:32 ↗
“and there were added besides unto them many like words”
In kid words: The second scroll had everything from the first one, plus many more words. Burning it backfired!
Jeremiah 38:9 ↗
“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet”
In kid words: Ebed-melech told the king to his face: what they did to Jeremiah was wrong.
Lamentations 3:22–23 ↗
“his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness”
In kid words: The Lord’s mercy never runs out. It’s brand-new every morning.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧔 Jeremiah
  • ✍️ Baruch
  • 📜 Scroll
  • 👑 Jehoiakim
  • 🔪 Penknife
  • 🏠 Winter house
  • 🤴 Zedekiah
  • 🧑🏾 Ebed-melech
  • 🌍 Ethiopia
  • 🕳️ Cistern
  • 🟤 Mire
  • 🧦 Old rags
  • 💪 Thirty men
  • 🏹 Babylon
  • ⛺ Lehi
  • 🤝 New covenant
  • 😢 Lamentations
  • 🌅 New every morning
Clues for each word
  • Jeremiah: Prophet thrown into a muddy cistern
  • Baruch: Jeremiah’s scribe who wrote the scroll twice
  • Scroll: A long rolled-up book; the king burned one
  • Jehoiakim: King who burned the scroll by his fire
  • Penknife: Small blade used to slice the scroll
  • Winter house: Where the king sat by his fire
  • Zedekiah: King who believed Jeremiah but was too scared to obey
  • Ebed-melech: Ethiopian servant who rescued Jeremiah
  • Ethiopia: The land Ebed-melech came from
  • Cistern: Deep pit for storing water; Jeremiah’s had only mud
  • Mire: Old word for deep, sticky mud
  • Old rags: Tucked under Jeremiah’s arms so the cords wouldn’t hurt
  • Thirty men: The rescue team the king sent with Ebed-melech
  • Babylon: Empire whose army surrounded Jerusalem
  • Lehi: Book of Mormon prophet who left Jerusalem when Zedekiah was king
  • New covenant: God’s promise to write His law in our hearts
  • Lamentations: Book of sad poems after Jerusalem fell
  • New every morning: How often the Lord’s mercies come, Lamentations 3
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. According to Jeremiah 36:3, why did the Lord want His words written?
    • A. To decorate the temple
    • B. So people would turn back and be forgiven
    • C. To scare the king of Babylon
    Show answer

    ✅ B. So people would turn back and be forgiven “That they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive.” Scripture is an invitation.

  2. Who read the scroll aloud to King Jehoiakim?
    • A. Jehudi
    • B. Baruch
    • C. Ebed-melech
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Jehudi Jehudi read it in the king’s ears, and every few columns it went into the fire (36:21–23).

  3. What was used to cut the scroll before burning it?
    • A. A sword
    • B. Scissors
    • C. A penknife
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A penknife A penknife is a small knife (36:23). Slice, slice, into the fire.

  4. What was different about the second scroll?
    • A. It was shorter
    • B. It had many more words added
    • C. It was written in gold
    Show answer

    ✅ B. It had many more words added “There were added besides unto them many like words” (36:32). Burning it backfired.

  5. Which three princes begged the king not to burn the scroll?
    • A. Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego
    • B. Elnathan, Delaiah, Gemariah
    • C. Baruch, Jehudi, Zedekiah
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Elnathan, Delaiah, Gemariah Jeremiah 36:25. Three people stood up while everyone else stayed quiet.

  6. What did Zedekiah say when princes wanted Jeremiah killed?
    • A. “He is in your hand”
    • B. “Never!”
    • C. “Ask Babylon first”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “He is in your hand” Jeremiah 38:5. He believed Jeremiah but let fear decide.

  7. How many men went with Ebed-melech to pull Jeremiah out?
    • A. Three
    • B. Twelve
    • C. Thirty
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Thirty Jeremiah 38:10. Thirty men, cords and a pile of old rags.

  8. Why did the Lord promise to protect Ebed-melech?
    • A. He was rich
    • B. He put his trust in the Lord
    • C. He was a prince
    Show answer

    ✅ B. He put his trust in the Lord “Because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD” (39:18).

  9. Which Book of Mormon family left Jerusalem while Zedekiah was king?
    • A. Lehi’s family
    • B. Alma’s family
    • C. Mosiah’s family
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Lehi’s family 1 Nephi 1:4 sets Lehi’s story at the start of Zedekiah’s reign. Same city, same time as Jeremiah!

  10. In the new covenant, where does God write His law?
    • A. On stone tablets
    • B. On the temple doors
    • C. In our hearts
    Show answer

    ✅ C. In our hearts Jeremiah 31:33. Covenants we keep change us from the inside.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Dare to Do Right Children’s Songbook, p. 158

    Ebed-melech dared to do right when the princes and the king wouldn’t. Sing it after the drama. Find it ↗

  • I Will Be Valiant Children’s Songbook, p. 162

    Its title matches your class name, and it fits a lesson about having courage to act on what you know. Find it ↗

  • Follow the Prophet Children’s Songbook, p. 110

    Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was a prophet but didn’t follow. We can do better. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

The Ebed-melech Challenge

This week, watch for someone stuck in a “pit”: left out, teased, or struggling. Do one brave thing and one kind thing for them, like Ebed-melech’s rope and rags. Bonus: say Jeremiah 31:33 from memory to your family by Saturday. Want more? Make it one of your Children and Youth goals.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we read how King Jehoiakim burned Jeremiah’s scroll, only for the Lord to have it rewritten with even more words, and how Ebed-melech, a servant from Ethiopia, boldly told the king that throwing Jeremiah into a muddy pit was wrong and led the rescue. We also learned that Lehi’s family left Jerusalem during this same time. Ask your child: King Zedekiah believed Jeremiah but didn’t obey. Why? And who could use some Ebed-melech courage from you this week?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🗺️ Two Prophets, One City · 5 min

  1. Read 1 Nephi 1:4 and 1 Nephi 7:14 together. Ask: “What do these verses tell us about Jeremiah?” (He lived when Lehi did, and the people put him in prison.)
  2. Make two columns: “Lehi” and “Zedekiah.” Have kids list what each one heard and what each one did.
  3. Ask: “They heard the same warnings in the same city. Why such different endings?”

🦸 Be an Ebed-melech Skits · 5 min

  1. Pairs draw a situation: a group chat is making fun of a classmate · a new kid eats lunch alone · friends dare someone to do something unsafe · someone mocks the prophet · a younger sibling is being teased.
  2. Each pair has 30 seconds to act out a response that is brave AND kind.
  3. After each skit, ask: “What was the rope? What were the rags?” (The brave action, and the kind way it was done.)

🪢 Rope Rescue Tug of War · 3 min

  1. Split into Team Cords and Team Rags. Tap Tug of War and tap your side of your phone or tablet as fast as you can, best two out of three.
  2. Between rounds, everyone does three big hand-over-hand pulls in the air: “Heave!”
  3. SAY“Ebed-melech couldn’t lift Jeremiah alone. Thirty people pulling together did it. Who pulls with you?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Valiant 9–11 lessons