¹⁹ They will fight against you but will not overcome^(A) you, for I am with you^(B) and will rescue^(C) you,” declares the Lord.

⁸ Do not be afraid^(A) of them, for I am with you^(B) and will rescue^(C) you,” declares the Lord.^(D)

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;^(A) do not be discouraged,^(B) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”^(C)

²⁵ “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(A) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶ ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac^(B) who acts like a prophet into the stocks^(C) and neck-irons. ²⁷ So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸ He has sent this message^(D) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^(E) Therefore build^(F) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

²⁹ Zephaniah^(G) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰ Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹ “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah^(H) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send^(I) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, ³² this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.^(J) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good^(K) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion^(L) against me.’”

¹⁹ I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;^(A) I did not realize that they had plotted^(B) against me, saying,

¹¹ After the Babylonian army had withdrawn^(A) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, ¹² Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property^(B) among the people there. ¹³ But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,^(C) the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”^(D)

¹⁴ “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested^(E) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. ¹⁵ They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten^(F) and imprisoned^(G) in the house^(H) of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

¹⁶ Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. ¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent^(I) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked^(J) him privately,^(K) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered^(L) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime^(M) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your prophets^(N) who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? ²⁰ But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”^(O)

²¹ King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread^(P) in the city was gone.^(Q) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(R)

¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death^(A) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”^(B)

¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials^(C) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy^(D) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.^{(E) 13} Now reform^(F) your ways and your actions and obey^(G) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent^(H) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ As for me, I am in your hands;^(I) do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood^(J) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words^(K) in your hearing.”

¹⁶ Then the officials^(L) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!^(M) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸ “Micah^(N) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:

¹⁹ “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah^(S) fear the Lord and seek^(T) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,^(U) so that he did not bring the disaster^(V) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster^(W) on ourselves!”

²⁰ (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim^(X) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim^(Y) and all his officers and officials^(Z) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.^(AA) But Uriah heard of it and fled^(AB) in fear to Egypt. ²² King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan^(AC) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³ They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword^(AD) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)^(AE)

²⁴ Furthermore, Ahikam^(AF) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.