Jeremiah, 37

1. And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

1. Josiah's Zedekiah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to be king of Judah in the place of Jehoiakin son of Jehoiakim.

2. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.

2. But neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid attention to the words of Yahweh spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

3. And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.

3. King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zehaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah to say, "Intercede for us with Yahweh our God!"

4. Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.

4. At that time Jeremiah had not yet been imprisoned and he was still going about among the people.

5. Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

5. Pharaoh's army had come out of Egypt and when the Chaldeans heard of this, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6. Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

6. Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet:

7. Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

7. "Yahweh the God of Israel has spoken. Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to consult me: Pharaoh's army which was on its way to help you is about to return to its own land,

8. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

8. and the Chaldeans will come back and attack this city. They will capture it and set it on fire.

9. Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.

9. Do not deceive yourselves by saying that the Chaldeans are not to come back, because they surely will.

10. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained [but] wounded men among them, [yet] should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

10. Even if you had defeated the whole Chaldean army and they were left with only wounded men, they would all come out of their tents and set fire to this city."

11. And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

11. While the Chaldean army was withdrawing from Jerusalem because of the advance of Pharaoh's troops,

12. Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.

12. Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin to receive an inheritance there.

13. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward [was] there, whose name [was] Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

13. But upon reaching the Benjamin Gate he was stopped by a sentry named Irijah, son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah who said, "You are deserting to the Babylonians!"

14. Then said Jeremiah, [It is] false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

14. Jeremiah answered, "There's no truth to that!" But Irijah did not listen. He nabbed Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

15. Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

15. They were so angry with Jeremiah, they beat him and locked him in the house of Jonathan the secretary which had been transformed into a prison.

16. When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

16. Jeremiah was put in the dungeon cells and was kept there for a number of days.

17. Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there [any] word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

17. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and secretly questioned him in his house:"Is there any word from Yahweh?" Jeremiah replied, "Yes, there is!" and added, "You will be handed over to the king of Babylon!"

18. Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

18. Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What wrong have I done to you, to your servants or to the people that you should have me imprisoned?

19. Where [are] now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

19. Where are your prophets

20. Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

20. who said to you: 'The King of Babylon will never come to attack you and destroy this land?' Now listen to me, my lord king! Take heed of my plea and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, for there I am doomed to die!"

21. Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

21. So King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be transferred to the Guards' Court and that every day he be supplied with loaf of bread from the bakers' street until there was no more bread. So Jeremiah remained in the Guards' Court.