Jeremiah 37

1. And King Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned 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, hearkened to the words of the LORD which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

3. And 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. And Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison.

5. And Pharaoh’s army had come out from Egypt. And when the Chaldeans who besieged Jerusalem heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

6. Then the Word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

7. “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘You shall say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. . And the Chaldeans shall come again and fight against this city, and capture it, and burn it with fire.” ’

9. Thus says the LORD, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us.” For they shall not depart.

10. For though you had stricken the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained only wounded men among them, they would rise up, each man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.’ ”

11. And it came to pass when the army of Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of fear of Pharaoh’s army,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 midst of the people.

13. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a commander of the guard named Irijah was there, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah. And he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are falling away to the Chaldeans.”

14. Then Jeremiah said, “A lie! I am not falling away to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him; so Irijah took Jeremiah and brought him to the rulers.

15. And the rulers were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison, the house of Jonathan the scribe. For they had made that the prison.

16. When Jeremiah had entered into the dungeon, and into the cells, then Jeremiah remained there many days.

17. And Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. And the king asked him secretly in his palace, and said, “Is there any word from the LORD?” And Jeremiah said, “There is. And He said, you shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

18. And Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

19. Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon shall not come against you nor against this land’?

20. Therefore hear now, I pray you, O my lord the king; I beg you, let my petition come before you, do not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”

21. And Zedekiah the king commanded that they should put Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street daily, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.