Jeremiah 37

Zedekiah Calls for Jeremiah

37Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jehoiachin

son of Jehoiakim as the king of Judah. He was appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.H4428H6667H1121H2977H4427H3659H1121H3079H5019H4428H894H4427H776H30632But neither King Zedekiah nor his attendants nor the people who were left in the land listened to what the Lord said through Jeremiah.H5650H5971H776H8085H1697H3068H1696H3027H5030H34143Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to ask Jeremiah, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us.”H6667H4428H7971H3081H1121H8018H6846H1121H4641H3548H5030H3414H559H6419H3068H4304Jeremiah had not yet been imprisoned, so he could come and go among the people as he pleased.H3414H935H3318H8432H5971H5414H1004H36285At this time the army of Pharaoh Hophra

of Egypt appeared at the southern border of Judah. When the Babylonian army heard about it, they withdrew from their siege of Jerusalem.H6547H2428H3318H4714H3778H6696H3389H8085H8088H5927H33896Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah:H1697H3068H5030H3414H5597“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The king of Judah sent you to ask me what is going to happen. Tell him, ‘Pharaoh’s army is about to return to Egypt, though he came here to help you.H559H3068H430H3478H559H4428H3063H7971H1875H6547H2428H3318H5833H7725H4714H7768Then the Babylonians

will come back and capture this city and burn it to the ground.’H3778H7725H3898H5892H3920H8313H7849“This is what the Lord says: Do not fool yourselves into thinking that the Babylonians are gone for good. They aren’t!H559H3068H5377H5315H559H3778H1980H3212H321210Even if you were to destroy the entire Babylonian army, leaving only a handful of wounded survivors, they would still stagger from their tents and burn this city to the ground!”H5221H2428H3778H3898H7604H1856H582H6965H376H168H8313H5892H784

Jeremiah Is Imprisoned

11When the Babylonian army left Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s approaching army,H2428H3778H5927H3389H6440H6547H242812Jeremiah started to leave the city on his way to the territory of Benjamin, to claim his share of the property among his relatives there

.H3414H3318H3389H3212H776H1144H2505H8432H597113But as he was walking through the Benjamin Gate, a sentry arrested him and said, “You are defecting to the Babylonians!” The sentry making the arrest was Irijah son of Shelemiah, grandson of Hananiah.H8179H1144H1167H6488H8034H3376H1121H8018H1121H2608H8610H3414H5030H559H5307H377814“That’s not true!” Jeremiah protested. “I had no intention of doing any such thing.” But Irijah wouldn’t listen, and he took Jeremiah before the officials.H559H3414H8267H5307H3778H8085H3376H8610H3414H935H826915They were furious with Jeremiah and had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary. Jonathan’s house had been converted into a prison.H8269H7107H3414H5221H5414H612H1004H3083H5608H6213H360816Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remained for many days.H3414H935H1004H953H2588H3414H3427H7227H311717Later King Zedekiah secretly requested that Jeremiah come to the palace, where the king asked him, “Do you have any messages from the Lord?” “Yes, I do!” said Jeremiah. “You will be defeated by the king of Babylon.”H6667H4428H7971H3947H4428H7592H5643H1004H559H1697H3068H3414H559H3426H559H5414H3027H4428H89418Then Jeremiah asked the king, “What crime have I committed? What have I done against you, your attendants, or the people that I should be imprisoned like this?H3414H559H4428H6667H2398H5650H5971H5414H1004H360819Where are your prophets now who told you the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land?H346H5030H5012H559H4428H894H935H77620Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don’t send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there.”H8085H113H4428H8467H5307H6440H7725H1004H3083H5608H419121So King Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah not be returned to the dungeon. Instead, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. The king also commanded that Jeremiah be given a loaf of fresh bread every day as long as there was any left in the city. So Jeremiah was put in the palace prison.H6667H4428H6680H6485H3414H2691H4307H5414H3117H3603H3899H644H2351H3899H5892H8552H3414H3427H2691H4307