The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Jeremiah 37
1 Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned
as king instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim,
whom Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor
the people ofthe land, listened to Yahweh’s
words, which he spoke by the prophet
Jeremiah.
3 Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the
son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son
of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet
Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to Yahweh
our God for us.”
4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out
among the people,for theyhadnot puthim
into prison.
5 Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt;
and when the Chaldeans who were
besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they
withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 Then Yahweh’s word came to the
prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7 “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘You
shall tell the king of Judah, who sent you
to me to inquire of me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s
army, which has come out to help you, will
return to Egypt into their own land.
8 The Chaldeans will come again, and
fight against this city. They will take it and
burn it with fire.” ’
9 “Yahweh says, ‘Don’t deceive yourselves,
saying, “The Chaldeans will surely
depart from us;” for they will not depart.
10 For though you had struck the whole
army of the Chaldeans who fight against
you, and only wounded men remained
among them, they would each rise up in
his tent and burn this city with fire.
11 When the army of the Chaldeans had
withdrawn from Jerusalem for fear of
Pharaoh’s army,
12 then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem
to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive
his portion there, in the middle of the people.
13 When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a
captain of the guard was there, whose
name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the
son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah
the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to
the Chaldeans!”
14 Then Jeremiah said, “That is false! I
am not defecting to the Chaldeans.”
But he didn’t listen to him; so Irijah
seized Jeremiah, and brought him to the
princes.
15 The princes were angry with
Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in
prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe;
for they had made that the prison.
16 When Jeremiah had come into the
dungeon house and into the cells, and
Jeremiah had remained there many days,
17 then Zedekiah the king sent and had
him brought out. The king asked him secretly
inhishouse, “Is there any word from
Yahweh?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” He also said,
“You will be delivered into the hand of the
king of Babylon.”
18 Moreover Jeremiah said to King
Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against
you, against your servants, or against this
people, that you have put me in prison?
19 Now where are your prophets who
prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of
Babylon will not come against you, nor
against this land’?
20 Now please hear, my lord the king:
please let my supplication be presented
before you,that younot cause me to return
to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I
die there.”
21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded,
and they committed Jeremiah into the
court of the guard. They gave him daily
a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street,
until all the bread in the city was gone.
Thus Jeremiahremainedinthe court ofthe
guard.