Jeremiah
37:1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of
Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of
Judah.
37:2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did
hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet
Jeremiah.
37:3 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
unto the LORD our God for us.
37:4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put
him into prison.
37:5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans
that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from
Jerusalem.
37:6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
37:7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of
Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army,
which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own
land.
37:8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and
take it, and burn it with fire.
37:9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall
surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
37:10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight
against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should
they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
37:11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up
from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,
37:12 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of
Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.
37:13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was
there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah;
and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the
Chaldeans.
37:14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But
he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the
princes.
37:15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put
him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made
that the prison.
37:16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and
Jeremiah had remained there many days;
37:17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him
secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And
Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the
hand of the king of Babylon.
37:18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against
thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put
me in prison?
37:19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king
of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
37:20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my
supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me
not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
37:21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into
the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of
bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were
spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
