37
1 Zedekiah the son
of Josiah reigned
as king instead
of Coniah the
son of Jehoiakim,
whom Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon made
king in the land
of Judah.
2 But
neither he, nor
his servants, nor
the people of
the land, listened
to the LORD’s
words, which he
spoke by the
prophet Jeremiah.
3 Zedekiah
the king sent
Jehucal the son
of Shelemiah and
Zephaniah the son
of Maaseiah, the
priest, to the
prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray
now to the
LORD our God
for us.”
4 Now
Jeremiah came in
and went out
among the people,
for they had
not put him
into prison.
5 Pharaoh’s
army had come
out of Egypt;
and when the
Chaldeans who were
besieging Jerusalem
heard news of
them, they
withdrew from
Jerusalem.
6 Then
the LORD’s word
came to the
prophet Jeremiah,
saying,
7 “The
LORD, the God
of Israel, says,
‘You shall tell
the king of
Judah, who sent
you to me
to inquire of
me: “Behold,
Pharaoh’s army,
which has come
out to help
you, will return
to Egypt into
their own land.
8 The
Chaldeans will
come again, and
fight against this
city. They will
take it and
burn it
with fire.” ’
9 “The
LORD says, ‘Don’t
deceive yourselves, saying, “The
Chaldeans will
surely depart from
us;” for they
will not depart.
10 For
though you had
struck the whole
army of the
Chaldeans who
fight against you,
and only wounded
men remained among
them, they would
each rise up
in his tent and
burn this city
with fire.’ ”
11 When
the army of
the Chaldeans had
withdrawn from
Jerusalem for fear
of Pharaoh’s army,
12 then
Jeremiah went out
of Jerusalem to
go into the land
of Benjamin,
to receive his
portion there, in
the middle of
the people.
13 When
he was in
Benjamin’s gate, a
captain of the
guard was there,
whose name was
Irijah, the son
of Shelemiah, the
son of Hananiah;
and he seized
Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, “You
are defecting to
the Chaldeans!”
14 Then
Jeremiah said, “That
is false! I am
not defecting to
the Chaldeans.”
But he didn’t
listen to him;
so Irijah seized
Jeremiah, and brought
him to the
princes.
15 The
princes were angry
with Jeremiah, and
struck him, and
put him in
prison in the
house of Jonathan
the scribe; for
they had made
that the prison.
16 When
Jeremiah had come into
the dungeon house
and into the cells,
and Jeremiah had
remained there
many days,
17 then
Zedekiah the king
sent and had
him brought out.
The king asked
him secretly in
his house, “Is
there any word
from the LORD?”
Jeremiah said, “There
is.” He also
said, “You will
be delivered into
the hand of
the king
of Babylon.”
18 Moreover
Jeremiah said to
King Zedekiah, “How
have I sinned
against you,
against your
servants, or
against this
people, that you
have put me
in prison?
19 Now
where are your
prophets who
prophesied to you,
saying, ‘The king
of Babylon will
not come against
you, nor against
this land’?
20 Now
please hear,
my lord the king:
please let my
supplication be
presented before
you, that you
not cause me
to return to
the house of
Jonathan the
scribe, lest I die
there.”
21 Then
Zedekiah the king
commanded, and
they committed
Jeremiah into the
court of the
guard. They gave
him daily a
loaf of bread
out of the bakers’
street, until all
the bread in
the city was
gone. Thus Jeremiah
remained in the
court of the
guard.