Jeremiah 37

1And King Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah.

2But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

3Then King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to Yahweh our God for us.”

4Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in the prison house.

5Pharaoh’s army had come out from Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

7Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Thus you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me, ‘Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which came out to help you, has returned to its own land, Egypt.’

8Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.

9Thus says Yahweh: Do not deceive yourselves, saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,’ for they will not go away.

10For even if you were to strike down the whole army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and only wounded men remained among them, each in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.

11When the army of the Chaldeans had gone up from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,

12Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there among the people.

13And when he was at the Benjamin Gate, there was a captain of the guard there whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”

14But Jeremiah said, “That is a lie; I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.” But he would not listen to him, and Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

15And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and put him in the prison house, in the house of Jehonathan the scribe, for they had made it a prison.

16For Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house and into the cells, and Jeremiah remained there many days.

17Then King Zedekiah sent and had him brought, and the king questioned him privately in his house, and said, “Is there any word from Yahweh?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

18Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What have I sinned against you, against your servants, and against this people, that you have put me into the prison?”

19And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’?”

20So now, please hear, my lord the king; please let my plea fall before you, and do not send me back to the house of Jehonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

21So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard, and gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread from the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.