1 Z edekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, ruled 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 he and his servants and the people of the land would not listen to what the Lord said through Jeremiah the man of God.

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 K ing Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the religious leader, to Jeremiah the man of God, saying, “Pray to the Lord our God for us.”

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 free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.

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

5 T he army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when the Babylonian army which had been around Jerusalem heard the news about them, they left 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 man of God, saying,

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

7 “ This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Me what will happen, “See, Pharaoh’s army which has come to help you 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 hen the Babylonians will return and fight against this city. They will take 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 he Lord says, ‘Do not fool yourselves, saying, “For sure the Babylonians will 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 E ven if you had won the battle against the whole Babylonian army fighting with you, and only men who were hurt were left in their tents, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’”

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 the Babylonian army had left 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 A nd so Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to take his land 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 soldier was there watching. His name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah. He took hold of Jeremiah the man of God, saying, “You are going over to the Babylonians!”

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, “It is a lie! I am not going over to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him. He took hold of Jeremiah and brought him to the leaders.

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 he leaders were angry with Jeremiah and beat him. They put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the writer, which they had made into a 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 A fter Jeremiah had been in an under-ground prison many days,

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

17 K ing Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to his house. The king asked him in secret, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is!” Then he said, “You will be given over to 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 J eremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “In what way have I sinned against you or your servants, or against these people? Why have you 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 are your men who spoke to you in God’s name, 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 I ask you to listen, O my lord the king. Hear what I ask, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the writer, or I will 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 S o King Zedekiah had them put Jeremiah in the open space of the prison. And a loaf of bread was given to him every day from the bread makers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the open space of the prison.

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.