Jeremiah 37:11–21

JEREMIAH’S IMPRISONMENT

¹¹When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, ¹²Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there^m among the people. ¹³But when he was at the Benjamin Gate,ⁿ an officer of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, and he apprehended the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans.”

¹⁴“That’s a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not defecting to the Chaldeans!” Irijah would not listen to him but apprehended Jeremiah and took him to the officials. ¹⁵The officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan^o the scribe, for it had been made into a prison. ¹⁶So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon^p and stayed there many days.

JEREMIAH SUMMONED BY ZEDEKIAH

¹⁷King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him, “Is there a word from the Lord?”^q

“There is,” Jeremiah responded. He continued, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”^{r 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? ¹⁹Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and this land’?^{s 20}So now please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you.^t Don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

²¹So King Zedekiah gave orders, and Jeremiah was placed in the guard’s courtyard.^u He was given a loaf of bread each day from the bakers’ street until all the bread was gone from the city. So Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard.