Jeremiah 37:1–9

JERUSALEM’S LAST DAYS

37Zedekiah son of Josiah^a reigned as king in the land of Judah^b in place of Coniah^Dc son of Jehoiakim, for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made him king. ²He and his officers and the people of the land did not obey the words of the Lord^d that he spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

³Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal^e son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah^f son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, requesting, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf!” ⁴Jeremiah was going about his daily tasks^E among the people, for he had not yet been put into the prison.^{g 5}Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt,^h and when the Chaldeans, who were besieging Jerusalem, heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶The word of the Lord came to the prophet Jeremiah: ⁷“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: This is what you will say to Judah’s king,ⁱ who is sending you to inquire of me: ‘Watch: Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you,^j is going to return to its own land of Egypt. ⁸The Chaldeans will then return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it.^{k 9}This is what the Lord says: Don’t deceive yourselves by saying, “The Chaldeans will leave us for good,” for they will not leave.