Jeremiah 37:1–9

Jerusalem’s Last Days

37Zedekiah son of Josiah ^dreigned as king in the land of Judah ^ein place of Jehoiachin ^fgson of Jehoiakim, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made him king. ²He and his officers and the people of the land did not obey the words of the Lord ^hthat He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

³Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal ⁱson of Shelemiah and Zephaniah ^json of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, requesting, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us!” ⁴Jeremiah was going about his daily tasks ^kamong the people, for they had not yet put him into the prison. ^l5Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, ^mand when the Chaldeans, who were besieging Jerusalem, heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: ⁷“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: This is what you will say to Judah’s king, ⁿwho is sending you to inquire of Me: Watch: Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, ^ois 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 down. ^p9This is what the Lord says: Don’t deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will leave us for good,’ for they will not leave.