AB - Jeremiah - 37

37:1  And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed to reign over Judah.

37:2  And he and his servants and the people of the land hearkened not to the words of the Lord, which He spoke by Jeremiah.

37:3  And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah, saying, Pray now for us to the Lord.

37:4  Now Jeremiah came and went through the midst of the city, for they had not put him into the house of the prison.

37:5  And Pharaoh's army had come forth out of Egypt; and the Chaldeans heard the report of them, and they went up from Jerusalem.

37:6  And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

37:7  Thus said the Lord; Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent to you, to seek Me; Behold, the army of Pharaoh which has come forth to help you shall return to the land of Egypt.

37:8  And the Chaldeans themselves shall turn again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

37:9  For thus says the Lord: Suppose not in your hearts, saying, The Chaldeans will certainly depart from us: for they shall not depart.

37:10  And though you should smite the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there should be left a few wounded men, these should rise up each in his place, and burn this city with fire.

37:11  And it came to pass, when the army of the Chaldeans had gone up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

37:12  that Jeremiah went forth from Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to buy some property from there among the people.

37:13  And he was in the gate of Benjamin, and there was a man there with whom he lodged, Irajah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he caught Jeremiah, saying, You are fleeing to the Chaldeans.

37:14  And he said, that's a lie! I do not flee to the Chaldeans! But he would not listen to him. So Irajah caught Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

37:15  And the princes were very angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and sent him into the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had turned his house into a prison.

37:16  So Jeremiah came into the dungeon, and into the cells, and he remained there many days.

37:17  Then Zedekiah sent, and called him; and the king asked him secretly, saying, Is there a word from the Lord? And he said, There is. You shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.

37:18  And Jeremiah said to the king, How have I wronged you, or your servants, or this people, that you have put me in prison?

37:19  And where are your prophets who prophesied to you saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against this land?

37:20  Now therefore, my lord the king, let my supplication come before your face; and why do you send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe? And by no means let me die there.

37:21  Then the king commanded, and they cast him into the prison, and gave him a loaf a day out of the place where they bake, until the bread failed out of the city. So Jeremiah continued in the court of the prison.