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
.
But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people
of the land
, did hearken
unto the words
of the LORD
, which he spake
by
the prophet
Jeremiah
.
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.
Now Jeremiah came in
and went out
among
the people
: for they had not put
him into prison
.
Then Pharaoh's army
was come forth
out of Egypt
: and when the Chaldeans
that besieged
Jerusalem
heard
tidings
of them, they departed
from Jerusalem
.
Then came the word of the LORD
unto the prophet
Jeremiah
, saying
,
Thus 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's
army
, which is come forth
to help
you, shall return
to Egypt
into their own land
.
And the Chaldeans shall come again
, and fight
against this city
, and take
it, and burn
it with fire
.
Thus saith the LORD
; Deceive
not yourselves
, saying
, The Chaldeans
shall surely
depart
from us: for they shall not depart
.
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
every man
in his tent
, and burn
this city
with fire
.
And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans
was broken up
from Jerusalem
for fear
of Pharaoh's
army
,
Then Jeremiah went forth
out of Jerusalem
to go
into the land
of Benjamin
, to separate
himself thence in the midst
of the people
.
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
.
Then said Jeremiah
, It is false
; I fall not away
to the Chaldeans
. But he hearkened
not to him: so Irijah
took
Jeremiah
, and brought
him to the princes
.
Wherefore 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
.
When Jeremiah was entered
into the dungeon
, and into the cabins
, and Jeremiah
had remained
there many
days
;
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
.
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
?
Where are now your prophets
which prophesied
unto you, saying
, The king
of Babylon
shall not come
against you, nor against this land
?
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.
Then Zedekiah the king
commanded
that they should commit
Jeremiah
into the court
of the prison
, and that they should give
him daily
a piece
of bread
out of the bakers
' street
, until all the bread
in the city
were spent
. Thus Jeremiah
remained
in the court
of the prison
.