Jeremiah 37:1-38 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Zedekiah, son of Josiah, to be king of Judah. Zedekiah succeeded Jehoiakin, son of Jehoiakim.

NSB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Zedekiah, son of Josiah, to be king of Judah. Zedekiah succeeded Jehoiakin, son of Jehoiakim. ² Zedekiah, his administrators, and the common people did not listen to what Jehovah spoke through the prophet Jeremiah. ³ King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. They asked him: »Please pray to Jehovah our God for us.« ⁴ Jeremiah was still free to come and go among the people. The people of Jerusalem had not put him in prison yet. ⁵ Pharaoh's army came from Egypt. When the Babylonians who were blockading Jerusalem heard this news, they retreated from Jerusalem. ⁶ Jehovah spoke his word to the prophet Jeremiah: ⁷ »This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to get advice from me: »Pharaoh's army has come out to help you. But it will go back to Egypt, its own land. ⁸ »Then the Babylonians will return. They will attack the city, capture it, and burn it down.« ⁹ »Jehovah says: ‘Do not deceive yourselves by thinking that the Babylonians will leave you. They will not leave you. ¹⁰ »Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city!«’« ¹¹ The Babylonian army retreated from Jerusalem because Pharaoh's army was coming. ¹² Jeremiah wanted to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of his property there among the people. ¹³ When he came to Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard there, whose name was Irijah, son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, arrested the prophet Jeremiah. He said: »You are deserting to the Babylonians!« ¹⁴ Jeremiah answered: »That is not true! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.« But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials. ¹⁵ The officials were so angry with Jeremiah that they beat him and put him in prison in the scribe Jonathan's house, which had been turned into a prison. ¹⁶ Jeremiah went into a prison cell, and he stayed there a long time. ¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace: »Is there any message from Jehovah? Jeremiah answered: Yes! There is a message from Jehovah. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.« ¹⁸ Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah: »What crime have I committed against you, your administrators, or these people? Why have you put me in prison? ¹⁹ »Where are the prophets who told you that the king of Babylon would not attack you and this land? ²⁰ »Your Majesty, please listen, and accept my plea for mercy. Do not return me to the scribe Jonathan's house, or I will die there.« ²¹ King Zedekiah gave the command to have Jeremiah put in the courtyard of the prison. He gave him a loaf of bread every day from the bakers' street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the prison.