³ King Zedekiah sent ^(A)Jehucal the son of ^(B)Shelemiah, and ^(C)Zephaniah the priest, the son of ^(D)Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please ^(E)pray for us to the Lord our God.”

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

21 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him ^(A)Pashhur the son of Malchiah and ^(B)Zephaniah the priest, the son of ^(C)Maaseiah, saying, ^2 (D)“Inquire of the Lord for us, ^(E)for Nebuchadnezzar^[a] king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ^(F)all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

The People Exiled to Babylon

²⁴ And the captain of the guard took ^(A)Seraiah the chief priest, and ^(B)Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold;

²⁵ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to ^(A)Zephaniah the son of ^(B)Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

⁶ And the king said to the man of God, ^(A)“Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.

²⁴ And Simon answered, ^(A)“Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

²⁰ that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. ^(A)For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ^(B)‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and ^(C)whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’

² and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let ^(A)our plea for mercy come before you, and ^(B)pray to the Lord your God for us, for all ^(C)this remnant—^(D)because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— ³ that ^(E)the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” ⁴ Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and ^(F)whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. ^(G)I will keep nothing back from you.”