Shared Word Translation
Jeremiah 37
Zedekiah Sends to Jeremiah
Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet. King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us.” Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. Pharaoh’s army had come out from Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report of them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
Babylon Will Return
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Thus you shall say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me: Look, Pharaoh’s army that came out to help you will return to its own land, Egypt. Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will 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 struck the entire army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you and only wounded men remained among them, each man would rise in his tent and burn this city with fire.”
Jeremiah Is Arrested
When the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the people.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, an officer of the guard was there whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah. He seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are falling away to the Chaldeans!” Jeremiah said, “False! I am not falling away to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. The officials were angry with Jeremiah, struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made it into a prison. Jeremiah entered the dungeon house and the cells, and Jeremiah remained there many days.
Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Secretly
Then King Zedekiah sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house and said, “Is there a word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’? And now please hear, my lord the king. Please let my plea fall before you: do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.” Then King Zedekiah commanded, and they placed Jeremiah in the court of the guard. A loaf of bread was given to him daily from the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.