(KJV) Jeremiah 37¹

⥃Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah

[1] And king Zedekiah² the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah³ the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made⁴ king in the land of Judah.⁵ [2] But neither⁶ he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet⁷ Jeremiah. [3] And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah⁸ the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray⁹ now unto the Lord our God for us. [4] Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for¹⁰ they had not put him into prison. [5] Then Pharaoh’s¹¹ army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they¹² departed from Jerusalem.

[6] [¶]Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, [7] Thus¹³ 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’s¹⁴ army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. [8] And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.¹⁵ [9] Thus saith the Lord; Deceive¹⁶ not yourselves¹⁷, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. [10] For though¹⁸ ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained [but] wounded men¹⁹ among them, [yet²⁰] should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

⥃Jeremiah Imprisoned

[11] And it came to pass, that²¹ when the army of the Chaldeans was broken²² up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, [12] Then Jeremiah went²³ forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land²⁴ of Benjamin, to separate himself thence²⁵ in the midst of the people. [13] And when he was in the²⁶ gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward [was] there, whose name [was] Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah²⁷; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou²⁸ fallest away to the Chaldeans. [14] Then said²⁹ Jeremiah, [It is] false³⁰; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. [15] Wherefore the princes³¹ were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put³² him in prison in the³³ house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

[16] [¶]When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon³⁴, and into the cabins³⁵, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;³⁶ [17] Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked³⁷ him secretly in his house, and said, Is there³⁸ [any] word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt³⁹ be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. [18] 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 prison?⁴⁰ [19] Where⁴¹ [are] now your⁴² prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? [20] Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before⁴³ thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest⁴⁴ I die there. [21] Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the⁴⁵ court of the prison, and that⁴⁶ they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until⁴⁷ all the bread in the city were spent. Thus⁴⁸ Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.