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.
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.
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.
4. Now Jeremiah came in * and went out * among the people: for they had not put * him into prison.
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.
6. Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying * ,
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.
8. And the Chaldeans shall come again * , and fight * against this city, and take * it, and burn * it with fire.
9. Thus saith * the LORD; Deceive * not yourselves, saying * , The Chaldeans shall surely * depart * from us: for they shall not depart * .
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.
11. And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up * from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,
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.
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.
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.
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.
16. When Jeremiah was entered * into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained * there many days;
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.
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?
19. Where are now your prophets which prophesied * unto you, saying * , The king of Babylon shall not come * against you, nor against this land?
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.
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.
