Yirmeyahu 37 ירמיהו ל״ז

And king Żidqiyyahu the son of Yoshiyyahu reigned instead of Konyahu the son of Yehoyaqim, whom Nevukhadreżżar king of Bavel made king in the land of Yehuda.

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 Yirmeyahu.

And Żidqiyyahu the king sent Yehukhal the son of Shelemya and Żefanyahu the son of Ma῾aseya the priest to the prophet Yirmeyahu, saying, Pray for us to the Lord our God.

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

Then Par῾o’s army was come out of Miżrayim: and when the Kasdim that besieged Yerushalayim heard tidings of them, they departed from Yerushalayim.

Then came the word of the Lord to the prophet Yirmeyahu saying,

Thus says the Lord, the God of Yisra᾽el; Thus shall you say to the king of Yehuda, that sent you to me to inquire of me; Behold, Par῾o’s army, which is come out to help you, shall return to Miżrayim into their own land.

And the Kasdim shall come back, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

Thus says the Lord; Do not deceive yourselves, saying, The Kasdim shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.

For even if you had smitten the whole army of the Kasdim 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.

And it came to pass that when the army of the Kasdim had withdrawn from Yerushalayim for fear of Par῾o’s army,

then Yirmeyahu went out of Yerushalayim to go into the land of Binyamin, to slip out from these amongst the people.

And when he was in the gate of Binyamin, a sentry was there, whose name was Yeriyya, the son of Shelemya, the son of Ḥananya; and he seized Yirmeyahu the prophet, saying, Thou art deserting to the Kasdim.

Then Yirmeyahu said, It is false; I am not deserting to the Kasdim. But he did not hearken to him: so Yeriyya seized Yirmeyahu, and brought him to the princes.

So the princes were angry with Yirmeyahu, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Yehonatan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

When Yirmeyahu was entered into the pit, and into the cells, and Yirmeyahu had remained there many days;

then Żidqiyyahu 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 Yirmeyahu said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Bavel.

Moreover Yirmeyahu said to king Żidqiyyahu, How have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

Where are now your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Bavel shall not come against you, nor against this land?

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 Yehonatan the scribe, lest I die there.

Then Żidqiyyahu the king commanded that they should commit Yirmeyahu to the court of the guard, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Yirmeyahu remained in the court of the guard.