1Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah.
2But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of Yahweh that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.
3And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray on our behalf to Yahweh our God.”
4Now Jeremiah was coming and going in the midst of the people, for they had not yet put him into the prison house.
5Meanwhile 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.
6Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
7“Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Thus you shall say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which came out to help you, is going to return to its own land, Egypt.
8And the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city; they will capture it and burn it with fire.
9Thus says Yahweh: Do not deceive yourselves, saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,’ for they will not go.
10For even if you struck down the whole army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained among them only wounded men, each in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.”
11Now it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans withdrew from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,
12that Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there among the people.
13When he was at the Gate of Benjamin, an officer of the guard was there whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”
14But Jeremiah said, “A lie! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” He would not listen to him, however, and Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.
15And the officials were angry at Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in the prison, in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that into the prison.
16So Jeremiah went into the cistern house, into the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.
17Then King Zedekiah sent and took him, and the king questioned him secretly in his house and 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.”
18Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in the prison?”
19And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’?
20And now, please listen, my lord the king: let my plea come before you, and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”
21So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard, and a loaf of bread was given to him daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
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