Jeremias 37
1 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS FROM THE LORD, SAYING,
And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
2 Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.
But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, hearkened to the words of Jehovah, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
3 For, behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel and Juda, said the Lord: and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall be lords of it.
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 to Jehovah our God for us.
4 AND THESE ARE THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD SPOKE CONCERNING ISRAEL AND JUDA;
Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison.
5 Thus said the Lord: You shall hear a sound of fear, [there is] fear, and there is not peace.
And Pharaoh's army came forth out of Egypt. And when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke away from Jerusalem.
6 Enquire, and see if a male has born a child? and [ask] concerning the fear, wherein they shall hold their loins, and [look for] safety: for I have seen every man, and his hands are on his loins; [their] faces are turned to paleness.
Then the word of Jehovah came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7 For that day is great, and there is not such [another]; and it is a time of straitness to Jacob; but he shall be saved out of it.
Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh's army, which has come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
8 In that day, said the Lord, I will break the yoke off their neck, and will burst their bonds, and they shall no longer serve strangers:
And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and they shall take it, and burn it with fire.
9 but they shall serve the Lord their God; and I will raise up to them David their king.
Thus says Jehovah: Do not deceive 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 who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yea they would 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 away from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,
12 Thus says the Lord; I have brought on [you] destruction; your stroke is painful.
then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there in the midst of the people.
13 There is none to judge your cause: you have been painfully treated for healing, there is no help for you.
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 laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou are falling away to the Chaldeans.
14 All your friends have forgotten you; they shall not ask [about you] at all, for I have struck you with he stroke of an enemy, [even] severe correction: your sins have abounded above all your iniquity.
Then Jeremiah said, It is false. I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he did not hearken to him. So Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the rulers.
15 Your sins have abounded beyond the multitude of your iniquities, [therefore] they have done these things to you. Therefore all that devour you shall be eaten, and all your enemies shall eat all their [own] flesh.
And the rulers were angry with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.
16 And they that spoil you shall become a spoil, and I will give up to be plundered all that have plundered you.
When Jeremiah came into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,
17 For I will bring about your healing, I will heal you of your grievous wound, says the Lord; for you are called Dispersed: she is your prey, for no one seeks after her.
then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him. And the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah said, There is. He also said, Thou shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
18 Thus said the Lord; Behold, I will turn the captivity of Jacob, and will have pity upon his prisoners; and the city shall be built upon her hill, and the people shall settle after their manner.
Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, How have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
19 And there shall go forth from them singers, [even] the sound of men making merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not at all be diminished.
Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
20 And their sons shall go in as before, and their testimonies shall be established before me, and I will visit them that afflict them.
And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king. Let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee, that thou not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
21 And their mighty ones shall be over them, and their prince shall proceed of themselves; and I will gather them, and they shall return to me: for who is this that has set his heart to return to me? says the Lord.
Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard. And they gave him a loaf of bread daily out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
23 For the wrathful anger of the lord has gone forth, [even] a whirlwind of anger has gone forth: it shall come upon the ungodly.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he shall execute [it], and until he shall establish the purpose of his heart: in the latter days you shall know these things.
