THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 37 ©
Zedekiah, though disobedient, yet sends to Jeremiah, to request his intercession to God for him, forasmuch as it seemed that the Chaldeans, being engaged against Pharaoh, might indeed entirely leave the siege, vs. 1, 2, etc. But obtains an answer that Pharaoh would desist and that the Chaldeans would return, and take and burn the city, though they were never so few and weak, 6. Jeremiah, upon occasion of the Chaldeans’ breaking up, seeks to go forth out of the city, but is apprehended, and brought unto the princes, beaten, and put into a loathsome prison, 12. From where Zedekiah secretly causes him to be fetched, to hear some comfortable thing of him, but still has the same answer; yet, at his request causes him to be brought again to the former prison, 16.
AND 1king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of 2Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, 3whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
But neither he, nor his 4servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake 5by the prophet Jeremiah.
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.6
Now Jeremiah came 7in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into 8prison.
Then 9Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of 10them, they 11departed froma Jerusalem.
¶Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not 12yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall 13surely depart from us: for they shall 14not depart.
For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but 15wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
¶And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear 16of Pharaoh’s army,
Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of 17Benjamin, to 18separate himself 19thence in the midst of the people.
And when he was in the gate of 20Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 21Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.
Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But 22he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.
Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and 23smote him, and put him in 24prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the 25prison.
¶When Jeremiah was entered into the 26dungeon, and into the 27cabins, 28and Jeremiah had remained there 29many days;
Then Zedekiah the king sent, and 30took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, 31Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in 32prison?
Where are now your 33prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: 34let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to 35return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should 36commit Jeremiah into the 37court of the prison,b and that they should give him daily a 38piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were 39spent. Thus Jeremiah 40remained in the court of the prison.