Jeremiah 37:1–9

The Babylonians Withdraw to Meet a Threat from Egypt

37And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had made king, reigned as king in the land of Judah in place of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim. ²But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet. ³And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,^a “Please pray for us to Yahweh our God.” ⁴Now Jeremiah was coming and going out in the midst of the people and they had not put him in the house of imprisonment. ⁵And the army of Pharaoh had come out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans, who were laying siege to Jerusalem, heard their report and they withdrew from Jerusalem.

⁶And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,^{b 7}“Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘This is what you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me, “Look, the army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, is going to return to his land Egypt. ⁸And the Chaldeans will return, and they will fight against this city, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire.” ’ ⁹Thus says Yahweh: ‘You must not deceive yourselves, saying,^c “Surely the Chaldeans will go from us,” for they will not go.