1 N ow Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.

¶ And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

2 B ut neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

But neither he nor his slaves nor the people of the land hearkened unto the words of the LORD, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

3 Y et King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “ Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf.”

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.

4 N ow Jeremiah was still coming in and going out among the people, for they had not yet put him in the prison.

(Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.

5 M eanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted the siege from Jerusalem.

And as Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.)

6 T hen the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

7 “ Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘ Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt.

Thus hath the LORD, the God of Israel said; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which had come forth to help you, has returned to Egypt into their own land.

8 T he Chaldeans will also return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.”’

And the Chaldeans shall come again and fight against this city and take it and burn it with fire.

9 T hus says the Lord, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go.

Thus hath the LORD said; Do not deceive yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans have surely departed from us; for they shall not depart.

10 F or even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’” Jeremiah Imprisoned

For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up each man from his tent and burn this city with fire.

11 N ow it happened when the army of the Chaldeans had lifted the siege from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,

¶ And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

12 t hat Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin in order to take possession of some property there among the people.

then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to separate himself there in the midst of the people.

13 W hile he was at the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah was there; and he arrested Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are going over to the Chaldeans!”

And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, 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, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

14 B ut Jeremiah said, “ A lie! I am not going over to the Chaldeans”; yet he would not listen to him. So Irijah arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

Then said Jeremiah It is false; I do not fall away to the Chaldeans. But he did not hearken to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15 T hen the officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat him, and they put him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which they had made into the prison.

Therefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah and smote him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

16 F or Jeremiah had come into the dungeon, that is, the vaulted cell; and Jeremiah stayed there many days.

When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

17 N ow King Zedekiah sent and took him out; and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said, “Is there a word from the Lord ?” And Jeremiah said, “There is!” Then he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon!”

then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house and said, Is 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.

18 M oreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “ In what way have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, In what have I sinned against thee or against thy slaves or against this people that ye have put me in prison?

19 W here then are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’?

Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you nor against this land?

20 B ut now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there.”

Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

21 T hen King Zedekiah gave commandment, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guardhouse and gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse.

Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the guard and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.