Jer 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.
Jer 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.
Jer 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.
Jer 37:4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not
put him into prison.
Jer 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.
Jer 37:6 Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 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 inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which
is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
Jer 37:8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and
take it, and burn it with fire.
Jer 37:9 Thus saith the Lord; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans
shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
Jer 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.
Jer 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,
Jer 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.
Jer 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.
Jer 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.
Jer 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.
Jer 37:16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and
Jeremiah had remained there many days;
Jer 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.
Jer 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?
Jer 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?
Jer 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.
Jer 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.