Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah 1 WBS 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. BSB BSB: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
2 WBS But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, hearkened to the words of the LORD, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. BSB BSB: But he and his officers and the people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
4 WBS Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. BSB BSB: Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.
5 WBS Then Pharaoh's army had come from Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. BSB BSB: Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 WBS Then came the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet:
7 WBS Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you to me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which hath come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. BSB BSB: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.
8 WBS And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. BSB BSB: Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.
9 WBS Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans will surely depart from us: for they will not depart. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for good,’ for they will not!
10 WBS For 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. BSB BSB: Indeed, if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city down.”
Jeremiah Imprisoned 11 WBS And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, BSB BSB: When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
12 WBS Then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. BSB BSB: Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people.
13 WBS 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. BSB BSB: But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”
14 WBS 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. BSB BSB: “That is a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to the officials.
15 WBS Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and beat him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. BSB BSB: The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
16 WBS When Jeremiah had entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; BSB BSB: So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and remained there a long time.
17 WBS 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. BSB BSB: Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
18 WBS Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, In what have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? BSB BSB: Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these people, that you have put me in prison?
19 WBS Where are now your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? BSB BSB: Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?
20 WBS 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. BSB BSB: But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
21 WBS 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 baker's street, until all the bread in the city should be consumed. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. BSB BSB: So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.