﻿Jeremiah.
Chapter 37.
King Zedekiah son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim. 
But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. 
King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to the LORD our God for us.” 
Jeremiah was still coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. 
Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt. When the Chaldeans besieging Jerusalem heard the news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. 
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: 
Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of me: “Look, Pharaoh’s army, which came out to help you, will return to its own land, Egypt. 
The Chaldeans will return, fight against this city, capture it, and burn it with fire. 
Thus says the LORD: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely leave us,’ for they will not leave. 
Even if you struck down the entire Chaldean army fighting against you, and only wounded men remained among them, each would rise in his tent and burn this city with fire.” 
When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 
Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his share there among the people. 
When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a captain of the guard named Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” 
Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah would not listen to him. He seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 
The officials were angry with Jeremiah, beat him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made it a prison. 
Jeremiah entered the dungeon and the cells and remained there many days. 
King Zedekiah sent for him and questioned him secretly in his house: “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” And he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 
Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you, your servants, or this people, that you have put me in prison? 
Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’? 
Now please listen, my lord the king. Please let my plea come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.” 
King Zedekiah gave the command, and Jeremiah was placed under guard in the courtyard of the guard. He was given a loaf of bread each day from the Bakers’ Street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard. 
