Jeremiah 37

1 And King Zedekiah son of Josiah reigns instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had caused to reign 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 he has not listened—he, and his servants, and the people of the land—to the words of YHWH that 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 Zedekiah the king sends Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Pray, we implore you, for us to our God YHWH.”

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 And Jeremiah is coming in and going out in the midst of the people (and they have not put him in the prison-house),

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

5 and the force of Pharaoh has come out of Egypt, and the Chaldeans who are laying siege against Jerusalem hear their report, and go up from off 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 there is a word of YHWH to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

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

7 “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Thus you say to the king of Judah who is sending you to Me, to seek Me: Behold, the force of Pharaoh that is coming out to you for help has turned back to its land, to 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 have turned back and fought against this city, and captured it, and burned it with fire.

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

9 Thus said YHWH: Do not lift up your souls, saying, The Chaldeans surely go from off us, for they do not go;

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

10 for though you had struck all the force of the Chaldeans who are fighting with you, and there were left of them wounded men—they rise, each in his tent, and have burned 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 And it has come to pass, in the going up of the force of the Chaldeans from off Jerusalem, because of the force of Pharaoh,

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

12 that Jeremiah goes out from Jerusalem to go [to] the land of Benjamin, to receive a portion there in the midst of the people.

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 it comes to pass, he is at the Gate of Benjamin, and there [is] a master of the ward, and his name is Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah; and he catches Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting 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 says, “Falsehood! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans”; and he has not listened to him, and Irijah lays hold on Jeremiah, and brings him to the heads,

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 and the heads are angry against Jeremiah, and have struck him, and put him in the prison-house—the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made it for a prison-house.

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 When Jeremiah has entered into the house of the dungeon, and to the cells, then Jeremiah dwells there many days,

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

17 and King Zedekiah sends, and takes him, and the king asks him in his house in secret, and says, “Is there a word from YHWH?” And Jeremiah says, “There is,” and he says, “You are given into the hand 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 says to King Zedekiah, “What have I sinned against you, and against your servants, and against this people, that you have put me into a prison-house?

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 And where [are] your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon does not come in against you, and against 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 And now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my supplication fall before you, and do not cause me to return [to] the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I do not 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 And King Zedekiah commands, and they commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, also to give a cake of bread to him daily from the bakers’ street, until the consumption of all the bread of the city, and Jeremiah dwells in the court 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.