Grass Roots

When they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one to another and said to Baruch, “We will surely report all these words to the king.

The people got it right. Well, the officials did, at any rate. The Lord commanded Jeremiah to write down everything he had prophesied so far, and have it read to the people. Maybe, just maybe, hearing all the curses at once might shock them into obedience.
It had a limited effect. I don't know what the people thought, but the officials were scared. They took it on up to their king, to try and change his mind. But they already had a good idea of his reaction: go and hide.
Sure enough, the king ignored the words of warning, and ordered Jeremiah and Baruch arrested. (But the Lord hid them, so they were safe.)

Now, here is a new-ish thought. What if the people had fasted and repented? What if the officials had led their own little groups, families, offices, whatever they had, in a time of repentence? How would things have turned out? Personally, I believe the king would have been deposed by God is some fashion, but Judah and Jerusalem would have been saved. At least for a while.
Some things have to start at a grass-roots level and grow up rather than starting at the top in a trickle down effect. We all know holiness cannot be legislated. Its been tried and failed. Holiness has to start in the individual, not the legislature.
We may have a Christian president right now, but that does not make us a Christian nation. We, the people, each need to respond to the word of the Lord.