Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land listened to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.
Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Please pray to Yahweh our God for us.”
Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison.
Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had come forth out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
Then the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
“This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: This is what you are to tell the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me: ‘Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will return to Egypt, to their own land.
The Chaldeans will return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.
This is what Yahweh says: Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will depart, yes, depart from us,” for they will not depart.
For even if you had struck down the whole Chaldean army that is fighting against you and there remained only wounded men among them, each man in his tent, yet they would get up and burn this city with fire.’”
Jeremiah Imprisoned
And when the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion of property there in the midst of the people.
But when he was in the Benjamin Gate, a commander of the guard was there whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah, and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.”
Then Jeremiah said, “That’s a lie. I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him, and Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.
The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and beat him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.
When Jeremiah had come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,
then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out, and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, “Is there any word from Yahweh?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “In what way have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?
And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’?
So now please listen, O my lord the king. Please let my supplication be presented before you, that you do not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard, and they gave him a loaf of bread every day from the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.