Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son
of Jehoiakim. But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the
land listened to the words of the LORD that he spoke through
Jeremiah the prophet.
King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah
the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
“Please pray for us to the LORD our God.” Now Jeremiah was still
going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in
prison. The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when the
Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news about them, they
withdrew from Jerusalem.
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: “Thus
says the LORD, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of
Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me, ‘Behold, Pharaoh's army
that came to help you is about to return to Egypt, to its own land.
And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They
shall capture it and burn it with fire. Thus says the LORD, Do not
deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from
us,” for they will not go away. For even if you should defeat the
whole army of Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there
remained of them only wounded men, every man in his tent, they
would rise up and burn this city with fire.’”
Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the
approach of Pharaoh's army, Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go
to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the
people. When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named
Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” And Jeremiah
said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But
Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought him
to the officials. And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and
they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the
secretary, for it had been made a prison.
When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there
many days, King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king
questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word
from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall
be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah also
said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your
servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are
your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon
will not come against you and against this land’? Now hear, please,
O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not
send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die
there.” So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah
to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily
from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone.
So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
