The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 37 Jeremiah in Prison

 The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 37

Jeremiah in Prison

1 Now Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned in place of Jeconiah son of Jehoiachin, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah.

2 But neither he nor his officials nor the people listened to the words of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

3 Then King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Pray now to the Lord our God for us.”

4 Jeremiah went in and out among the people, for he had not been put in prison.

5 Pharaoh’s army went out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard this news, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

7 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Thus you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire: Behold, the army of Pharaoh, which came out to help you, will return to its own land in Egypt.

8 And the Chaldeans shall return and fight against this city, and they shall take it and burn it with fire.

9 Thus says the Lord: Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely leave us,” for they will not leave.

10 For even if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and only men were left slain, each one would rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire.

11 Now it came to pass, that the army of the Chaldeans went up out of Jerusalem because of the army of Pharaoh,

12 that Jeremiah went out out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion among the people.

13 And he was at the Benjamin Gate, where a captain of the guard was, whose name was Jeriah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah: and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou hast fled unto the Chaldeans.

14 And Jeremiah said, That is false, I am not fleeing unto the Chaldeans. But he would not listen to him; and Jeriah took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes.

15 And the princes were very angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him down, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made it a prison.

16 So Jeremiah went into the dungeon and remained in his cells for many days.

17 Then King Zedekiah sent and released him. The king secretly asked him in his house, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah replied, “There is.” He also said, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”

18 Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What have I done to you, your officials, or this people, that you have put me in prison?

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

20 Now therefore, hear now, my lord the king: let my plea be before you; do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.

21 Then King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be put in the courtyard of the guard; and they 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 courtyard of the guard.