Jerusalem’s Last Days
1 Zedekiah son of Josiahreigned as king in the land of Judahin place of Jehoiachinson of Jehoiakim, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made him king.
2 He and his officers and the people of the land did not obey the words of theLordthat He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucalson of Shelemiah and Zephaniahson of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, requesting, “Please pray to theLordour God for us! ”
4 Jeremiah was going about his daily tasksamong the people, for they had not yet put him into the prison.
5 Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt,and when the Chaldeans, who were besieging Jerusalem, heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 The word of theLordcame to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, says: This is what you will say to Judah’s king,who is sending you to inquire of Me: Watch: Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you,is going to return to its own land of Egypt.
8 The Chaldeans will then return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 This is what theLordsays: Don’t deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will leave us for good,’ for they will not leave.
10 Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire Chaldean army that is fighting with you,and there remained among them only the badly woundedmen, each in his tent, they would get up and burn this city down.”
Jeremiah’s Imprisonment
11 When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,
12 Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion thereamong the people.
13 But when he was at the Benjamin Gate,an officer of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, and he apprehended Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.”
14 “That’s a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans! ” Irijah would not listen to him but apprehended Jeremiah and took him to the officials.
15 The officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathanthe scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
16 So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeonand stayed there many days.
Jeremiah Summoned by Zedekiah
17 King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him, “Is there a word from theLord? ”
“There is,” Jeremiah responded, and he continued, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people that you have put me in prison?
19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and this land’?
20 So now please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you.Don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
21 So King Zedekiah gave orders, and Jeremiah was placed in the guard’s courtyard.He was given a loaf of bread each day from the baker’s street until all the bread was gone from the city. So Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard.
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/JER/37-f538519bb8acd0ee589ba1ca99aad1b9.mp3?version_id=72—