Jeremiah 37

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

1King Zedekiah son of Josiah began to rule instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had appointed Zedekiah as king over the land of Judah.

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

2But neither King Zedekiah, nor his officials, nor the people of the land paid any attention to the messages that the LORD spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

3And 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 Jehovah our God for us.

3King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet. They said, 'Please pray to the LORD our God for us.'

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

4At that time, Jeremiah was still coming and going freely among the people because they had not yet put him in prison.

5And Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that were besieging Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they brake up from Jerusalem.

5Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt. When the Babylonians who were attacking Jerusalem heard this news, they withdrew from the city.

6Then came the word of Jehovah unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

6Then the message of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah:

7Thus saith Jehovah, 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.

7This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask me what would happen, that Pharaoh’s army, which came to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.

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

8The Babylonians will return and attack this city. They will capture it and burn it down.

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

9The LORD says: Do not fool yourselves by thinking the Babylonians have left for good. They will not stay away.

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

10Even if you defeated the entire Babylonian army that is fighting you, and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city to the ground.

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

11When the Babylonian army had pulled back from Jerusalem because Pharaoh’s army was approaching,

12then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people.

12Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to take possession of some property he had inherited there among his people.

13And 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 laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou art falling away to the Chaldeans.

13But as he was passing through the Benjamin Gate, an officer of the guard named Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him. Irijah said, 'You are deserting to the Babylonians!'

14Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

14'That is a lie!' Jeremiah replied. 'I am not deserting to the Babylonians.' But Irijah would not listen to him. He arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.

15And 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.

15The officials were angry with Jeremiah. They had him beaten and locked up in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had turned into a prison.

16When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

16Jeremiah was put into a cell in a dungeon, and he stayed there for a long time.

17then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

17Later, King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace. The king asked him privately, 'Is there any message from the LORD?' 'Yes,' Jeremiah answered, 'you will be handed over to the king of Babylon.'

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

18Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, 'What crime have I committed against you, your officials, or this people, that you have put me in prison?

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

19Where are your prophets now who told you that the king of Babylon would never attack you or this land?

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

20Now, my lord the king, please listen and hear my request. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.'

21Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

21So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be moved to the courtyard of the guard. He was given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers every day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.