Jeremiah 37
World English Bible
37 Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to Yahweh’s words, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
3 Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to Yahweh our God for us.”
4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. 5 Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.
6 Then Yahweh’s word came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 7 “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘You shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt into their own land. 8 The Chaldeans will come again, and fight against this city. They will take it and burn it with fire.”’
9 “Yahweh says, ‘Don’t deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely depart from us;” for they will not depart. 10 For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and only wounded men remained among them, they would each rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire.’”
11 When the army of the Chaldeans had broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, 12 then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the middle of the people. 13 When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!”
14 Then Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.”
But he didn’t listen to him; so Irijah seized Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15 The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.
16 When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days, 17 then Zedekiah the king sent, and had him brought out. The king asked him secretly in his house, “Is there any word from Yahweh?”
Jeremiah said, “There is.” He also said, “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
18 Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Now where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you, nor against this land?’ 20 Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”
21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard. They gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Jeremiah 37
Lexham English Bible
The Babylonians Withdraw to Meet a Threat from Egypt
37 And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had made king, reigned as king in the land of Judah in place of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet. 3 And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,[a] “Please pray for us to Yahweh our God.” 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going out in the midst of the people and they had not put him in the house of imprisonment. 5 And the army of Pharaoh had come out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans, who were laying siege to Jerusalem, heard their report and they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,[b] 7 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘This is what you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me, “Look, the army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, is going to return to his land Egypt. 8 And the Chaldeans will return, and they will fight against this city, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire.”’ 9 Thus says Yahweh: ‘You must not deceive yourselves, saying,[c] “Surely the Chaldeans will go from us,” for they will not go. 10 For even if you struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and only men pierced through remained among them, each one in his tent, they would rise up and they would burn this city with fire.’”
Jeremiah is Arrested and Put in Prison
11 And then,[d] at the withdrawing of the army of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem before[e] the army of Pharaoh, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive a portion from there in the midst of the people. 13 And when[f] he was at the Gate of Benjamin, there was a sentry on duty[g] whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying,[h] “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” 14 And Jeremiah said, “That is a lie! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But he would not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him in prison,[i] in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the prison[j]. 16 So Jeremiah came to the dungeon[k], even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.
17 Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, “Is there a word from Yahweh?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” And he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in prison?[l] 19 And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying,[m] ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now then, my lord the king, please let my plea fall before you.[n] You must not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah commanded, and they handed Jeremiah over in the courtyard of the guard, and they gave to him a round loaf of bread from the street of the bakers every day[o] until the finishing of all the bread from the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 37:3 Literally “to say”
- Jeremiah 37:6 Literally “to say”
- Jeremiah 37:9 Literally “to say”
- Jeremiah 37:11 Literally “And it will happen”
- Jeremiah 37:11 Literally “from the face of”
- Jeremiah 37:13 Literally “And it was”
- Jeremiah 37:13 Literally “an owner of supervision”
- Jeremiah 37:13 Literally “to say”
- Jeremiah 37:15 Literally “the house of the fetters”
- Jeremiah 37:15 Literally “house of the imprisonment”
- Jeremiah 37:16 Literally “house of the cistern”
- Jeremiah 37:18 Literally “the house of the imprisonment”
- Jeremiah 37:19 Literally “to say”
- Jeremiah 37:20 Literally “to the face of you”
- Jeremiah 37:21 Literally “for the day”
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