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.
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.
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.
4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.
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.
6 Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
9 Thus saith the Lord; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
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.
11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
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.
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.
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.
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.
16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many 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.
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?
19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
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.
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.

1And king Zedekiah the sonne of Iosiah reigned in stead of Coniah the son of Iehoiakim, whō Nebuchad-rezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Iudah.

2But neither he, nor his seruants, nor the people of the land, did hearken vnto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Ieremiah.

3And Zedekiah the king sent Iehucal the sonne of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Ieremiah, saying, Pray now vnto the Lord our God for vs.

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

5Then Pharaohs armie was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Caldeans that besieged Ierusalem, heard tidings of them, they departed from Ierusalem.

6 Then came the word of the Lord vnto the Prophet Ieremiah, saying,

7Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the king of Iudah, that sent you vnto me to enquire of me, Behold, Pharaohs armie which is come forth to helpe you, shall returne to Egypt into their owne land.

8And the Caldeans shall come againe, and fight against this citie and take it, and burne it with fire.

9Thus saith the Lord, Deceiue not your selues, saying, The Caldeans shall surely depart from vs: for they shall not depart.

10For though yee had smitten the whole armie of the Caldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise vp euery man in his tent, and burne this citie with fire.

11 And it came to passe that when the armie of the Caldeans was broken vp from Ierusalem for feare of Pharaohs armie,

12Then Ieremiah went forth out of Ierusalem to goe into the lande of Beniamin, to separate himselfe thence in the mids of the people.

13And when he was in the gate of Beniamin, a captaine of the warde was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the sonne of Hananiah, & he tooke Ieremiah the Prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Caldeans

14Then said Ieremiah, It is false, I fall not away to the Caldeans: but he hearkened not to him: so Irijah tooke Ieremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15Wherfore the princes were wroth with Ieremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison, in the house of Ionathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.

16 When Ieremiah was entred into the dungeon, and into the cabbins, and Ieremiah had remained there many dayes:

17Then Zedekiah the king sent and tooke him out, and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the Lord ? and Ieremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be deliuered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

18Moreouer Ieremiah sayd vnto king Zedekiah, What haue I offended against thee, or against thy seruants, or against this people, that yee haue put me in prison?

19Where are now your prophets, which prophecied vnto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

20Therefore heare 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 returne to the house of Ionathan the scribe, lest I die there.

21Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Ieremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should giue him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers streete, vntill all the bread in the citie were spent. Thus Ieremiah remained in the court of the prison.

II == 2nd Chr 36:12 , 14

III == Jer 21:1-2 ; 29:25 ; 52:24

V == 2nd Kings 24:7 ; Jer 34:21 ; 37:11 ; Ezek 17:15

VII == Jer 21:2

VIII == Jer 34:22

X == Jer 21:4-5

XI == Jer 37:5

XV == Jer 38:26

XVI == Jer 38:6

XXI == Jer 21:1

1 Coniah, son of Jehoiakim, was succeeded by King Zedekiah, son of Josiah; he was made king over the land of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

2 Neither he, nor his ministers, nor the people of the land would listen to the words of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah the prophet.

3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal, son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah with this request: "Pray to the LORD, our God, for us."

4 At this time Jeremiah had not yet been put into prison; he still came and went freely among the people.

5 Also, Pharaoh's army had set out from Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard this report they marched away from the city.

6 This word of the LORD then came to the prophet Jeremiah:

7 Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Give this answer to the king of Judah who sent you to me to consult me: Pharaoh's army which has set out to help you will return to its own land, Egypt.

8 The Chaldeans shall return to the fight against this city; they shall capture it and destroy it with fire.

9 Thus says the LORD: Do not deceive yourselves with the thought that the Chaldeans will leave you for good, because they shall not leave!

10 Even if you were to defeat the whole Chaldean army now attacking you, and only the wounded remained, each in his tent, these would rise up and destroy the city with fire.

11 When the Chaldean army lifted the siege of Jerusalem at the threat of the army of Pharaoh,

12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem for the district of Benjamin, to take part with his family in the division of an inheritance.

13 But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, he met the captain of the guard, a man named Irijah, son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah; he seized the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "You are deserting to the Chaldeans!"

14 "That is a lie!" Jeremiah answered, "I am not deserting to the Chaldeans." Without listening, Irijah kept Jeremiah in custody and brought him to the princes.

15 The princes were enraged, and had Jeremiah beaten and thrown into prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which they were using as a jail.

16 And so Jeremiah entered the vaulted dungeon, where he remained a long time.

17 Once King Zedekiah had him brought to his palace and he asked him secretly whether there was any message from the LORD. Yes! Jeremiah answered: you shall be handed over to the king of Babylon.

18 Jeremiah then asked King Zedekiah: In what have I wronged you, or your ministers, or this people, that you should put me in prison?

19 And where are your own prophets now,

20 who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land? Hear now, my lord king, and grant my petition: do not send me back into the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I shall die there.

21 King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be confined in the quarters of the guard, and given a loaf of bread each day from the bakers' shop until all the bread in the city was eaten up. Thus Jeremiah remained in the quarters of the guard.

Chap. 37-39 are chronological, dealing with the final siege and fall of Jerusalem.

v 1,2. Zedekiah had been appointed vassal king by Nebuchadnezzar, but he or no one else paid any attention to Jeremiah’s prophecies.

v 3-10. Inconsistent Zedekiah asked Jeremiah to pray, probably that Egypt would beat Nebuchadnezzar during the short time he dropped the siege. God answered, even an all wounded army would burn Jerusalem. Jeremiah was not yet in prison.

v 11-16. Jeremiah started to his town of Anathoth to check on  property, but he was falsely accused of falling away to the Chaldeans, beaten and put in a dungeon. 

v 17-20. Babylon resumed the siege, so Zedekiah brought out Jeremiah privately and asked for word from the Lord. The message was the same, Zedekiah would be delivered to the Babylonians. Jeremiah protested innocence and requested release from the cold, dank dungeon lest he die.
v 21. Zedekiah transferred him to the courtyard of the guard for protection from his enemies, and allotted a daily portion of bread until the supply ran out.