Jeremiah 37

1 After Jehoiakim died, [his son Jehoiachin became king for only three months, after which] King Josiah’s son Zedekiah became the King of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, appointed him to be the new king.

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 But King Zedekiah and his palace officials and the other people in the land paid no attention to the messages that Yahweh gave me.

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 However, [one day] King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, who was the son of Maaseiah, to me. They requested me to pray to Yahweh our God for our [nation].

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 At that time I had not yet been put in prison, so I could come and go wherever and whenever I wanted to, [without being hindered].

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

5 [At that time], the army of [Hophra], the King of Egypt, came [to the southern border of Judah]. When the army of Babylonia heard about that, they stopped surrounding Jerusalem and left there [to fight against the army from Egypt].

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 Then Yahweh gave this message to me:

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

7 “[I], Yahweh, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], say this: ‘The King of Judah has sent [messengers] to you to ask me [what is going to happen]. Tell the king that even though the army of the King of Egypt came to help him, they are about to return 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 Then the army of Babylonia will return here and capture this city and burn everything in it.’

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

9 [So], this is what I say [to you Israelis]: ‘You should not deceive yourselves, thinking that the army from Babylonia has gone and will not return. That is not true.

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

10 And even if your soldiers could destroy almost all of the soldiers from Babylonia who are attacking you, and allow only a few of them who were wounded to remain alive in their tents, they would come out [of their tents] and burn this city completely!”’”

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 When the army from Babylonia left Jerusalem because the army from Egypt was approaching,

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

12 I started to leave the city. I intended to go to the area [where the descendants of] Benjamin live, in order to take possession of my share of the property from my family.

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 But as I was walking out the Benjamin Gate, a guard seized me and said, “You are deserting [us and going] to [the soldiers from] Babylonia!” The man who seized me was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah.

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 But I [protested and] said, “That is not true! I was not intending to do that!” But Irijah would not pay attention to what I said. He took me to the [king’s] officials.

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 They were very angry with me. They [commanded the guards to] beat me and [then to] put me in the house where Jonathan the king’s secretary stayed. They had changed Jonathan’s house to make it become a 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 They put me in a dungeon/cell in that prison, and I remained there for several days.

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

17 Then King Zedekiah secretly sent a servant to me, who took me to the palace. There the king asked me, “Do you have any messages from Yahweh?” I replied, “Yes, [the message is that] you will be handed over to 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 Then I asked the king, “What crime have I committed [RHQ] against you or against your officials or against the Israeli people, with the result that you have [commanded that] I be put in a prison?

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 Your prophets predicted that the army of the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land. Why were [RHQ] [their messages] not fulfilled?

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

20 Your majesty, I plead with you to listen to me. Do not send me back to the dungeon/cell in the house of Jonathan your secretary, because [if you do that, ] I will 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 So King Zedekiah commanded that [I not be sent back to the prison cell. Instead, ] I was allowed to be watched by the guards in the courtyard [of the palace]. [The king] also [commanded that they should] bring me a loaf of fresh bread every day, until there was no bread left in the city. So [they put me] in that courtyard and I remained there.

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.