Jeremiah 37

1 And then king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, reigned in place of Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim. For Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, appointed him as king in the land of Judah.

And Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, made king, in the land of Judah.

2 And neither he himself, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, obeyed the words of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah, the prophet.

But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land had hearkened unto the words of Yahweh, which he had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

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

And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet saying, —Pray thou I beseech thee in our behalf, unto Yahweh, our God.

4 Now Jeremiah was walking freely in the midst of the people. For they had not yet sent him into the custody of the prison.

Now, Jeremiah, was coming in and going out in the midst of the people, for they had not put him into prison.

5 And then the army of Pharaoh went forth from Egypt. And hearing this, the Chaldeans, who were besieging Jerusalem, withdrew from Jerusalem.

And the force of Pharaoh had come forth out of Egypt, —and, when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the tidings of them, they went up from Jerusalem.

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

Then came the word of Yahweh unto Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

7 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: So shall you say to the king of Judah, who sent you to question me: Behold, the army of Pharaoh, which has gone forth in assistance to you, will return to their own land, into Egypt.

Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, Thus, shall ye say unto the king of Judah, who sent you unto me to enquire of me, —Lo! the force of Pharaoh which is coming out to you to help is about to return to its own land to Egypt;

8 And the Chaldeans will return and will make war against this city. And they will seize it and burn it with fire.

Then will the Chaldeans come back, and fight against this city, —and capture it and burn it with fire.

9 Thus says the Lord: Do not be willing to deceive your own souls, saying: ‘The Chaldeans will certainly withdraw and go away from us.’ For they will not go away.

Thus, saith Yahweh, —Let not your own souls, deceive you saying, The Chaldeans will, surely depart, from us! For they will not depart;

10 But even if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and if there were left behind from among them only a few wounded men, they would rise up, each one from his tent, and they would burn this city with fire.”

For though ye had smitten all the force of the Chaldeans who are fighting with you and there had remained of them only desperately wounded men, yet, every man in his tent, should have arisen and burnt this city with fire.

11 Therefore, when the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,

Now it came to pass, when the army of the Chaldeans, had gone up from Jerusalem, —because of the force of Pharaoh,

12 Jeremiah went forth from Jerusalem, to go into the land of Benjamin, and to distribute a possession there, in the sight of the citizens.

then went forth Jeremiah out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, —to receive a portion from thence in the midst of the people.

13 And when he had arrived at the gate of Benjamin, the keeper of the gate, whose turn it was to be there, was named Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah. And he apprehended Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are fleeing to the Chaldeans.”

And so it came to pass he being in the gate of Benjamin and there being there a ward-master whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah, that he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Unto the Chaldeans, art thou falling away!

14 And Jeremiah responded: “That is false. I am not fleeing to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him. And so Irijah took Jeremiah, and he brought him to the leaders.

Then said Jeremiah, False! I am not falling away unto the Chaldeans! Howbeit he hearkened not unto him, —so Irijah seized Jeremiah, and brought him in unto the princes.

15 Therefore, the leaders were angry with Jeremiah, and so they beat him and sent him to the prison that was in the house of Jonathan, the scribe. For he was the chief over the prison.

Then were the princes wroth against Jeremiah, and smote him, —and put him in prison, in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for that, had they made the prison.

16 And so Jeremiah went into the house of the prison and into a dungeon. And Jeremiah sat there for many days.

When Jeremiah had entered into the dungeon-house and into the cells, and Jeremiah, had remained there many days,

17 Then Zedekiah the king, sending, took him out and questioned him secretly in his house, and he said: “Do you think that there is any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said: “There is.” And he said: “You will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

then sent King Zedekiah—and fetched him, and the king asked him, in his own house secretly, and said, —Is there a word from Yahweh? And Jeremiah said, —There is, for (said he), Into the hand of the king of Babylon, shalt thou be delivered!

18 And Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah: “How have I sinned against you, or your servants, or your people, such that you would cast me into a house of imprisonment?

And Jeremiah said unto King Zedekiah, —What sin have I committed against thee, or against thy servants or against this people, that ye have delivered me up into prison?

19 Where are your prophets, who were prophesying to you, and who were saying: ‘The king of Babylon will not overwhelm you and this land?’

Where, then are your prophets, who prophesied unto you saying, —The king of Babylon shall not come, against you nor against this land?

20 Now therefore, listen, I beg you, my lord the king. Let my petition prevail in your sight. And do not send me back into the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.”

Now therefore, hear I beseech thee, O my lord the king, —Let my, supplication, I pray thee, fall prostrate before thee, and do not cause me to return unto the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there!

21 Then king Zedekiah instructed that Jeremiah be confined to the vestibule of the prison, and that they should give him a twist of bread daily, along with stew, until all the bread in the city had been consumed. And Jeremiah remained at the entrance of the prison.

Then King Zedekiah gave command and they committed Jeremiah into the guard-court, and [said] that there should be given him a cake of bread daily, out of the baker’s street, until all the bread out of the city should be spent, So Jeremiah remained in the guard-court.