Jeremiah 37
1 And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king in the place of Conyahu the son of Jehoyakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS FROM THE LORD, SAYING,
2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he had spoken by means of Jeremiah the prophet.
Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.
3 And king Zedekiah sent Jehuchal the son of Shelemyah and Zephanyahu the son of Ma'asseyah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Pray now in our behalf unto the Lord our God.
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.
4 Now Jeremiah came and went out among the people; and they put him not into the prison-house.
AND THESE ARE THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD SPOKE CONCERNING ISRAEL AND JUDA;
5 But the army of Pharaoh was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard the report of them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
Thus said the Lord: You shall hear a sound of fear, [there is] fear, and there is not peace.
6 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
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.
7 Thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that hath sent you unto me to inquire of me, Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, returneth into its own land to Egypt.
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.
8 But the Chaldeans will come again, and fight against this city, and capture it, and burn it with fire.
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:
9 Thus hath said the Lord, Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans will certainly go away from us; for they will not go away.
but they shall serve the Lord their God; and I will raise up to them David their king.
10 For if even ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained among them [only such] men as are pierced through: yet should they rise up, every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
11 And it came to pass, when the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of the army of Pharaoh,
12 That Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to make his escape thence in the midst of the people.
Thus says the Lord; I have brought on [you] destruction; your stroke is painful.
13 But as he was in the gate of Benjamin, there was there a captain of the guardsmen, whose name was Yiriyah, the son of Shelemyah, the son of Chananyah; and he seized hold of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou runnest away to the Chaldeans.
There is none to judge your cause: you have been painfully treated for healing, there is no help for you.
14 But Jeremiah said, It is false; I am not running away to the Chaldeans. But he listened not to him; and Yiriyah seized hold of Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.
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.
15 Thereupon were the princes wroth with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for that had they made into a prison-house.
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.
16 When Jeremiah had been placed in the dungeon, within the traders' shops, where Jeremiah remained many days:
And they that spoil you shall become a spoil, and I will give up to be plundered all that have plundered you.
17 King Zedekiah sent, and had him taken out, and the king asked him in his house in secret, and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is:” and he said, Into the hand of the king of Babylon shalt thou be given up.
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.
18 And Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I sinned against thee, and against thy servants, and against this people, that ye have put me into the prison-house?
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.
19 And where are now your prophets who have prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon will not come against you, and against this land?
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.
20 Yet now, do but hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let me offer my humble supplication, I pray thee, before thee, that thou wilt not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
And their sons shall go in as before, and their testimonies shall be established before me, and I will visit them that afflict them.
21 Then commanded king Zedekiah that they should put Jeremiah in ward in the court of the prison, and that they should give him a loaf of bread for every day out of the bakers' street, until all the bread was spent out of the city. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
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.
For the wrathful anger of the lord has gone forth, [even] a whirlwind of anger has gone forth: it shall come upon the ungodly.
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.
