Zedekiah consults Jeremiah
1Josiah’s Zedekiah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to be king of Judah in the place of Jehoiakin son of Jehoiakim. 2But neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid attention to the words of Yahweh spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zehaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah to say, “Intercede for us with Yahweh our God!” 4At that time Jeremiah had not yet been imprisoned and he was still going about among the people. 5Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt and when the Chaldeans heard of this, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet: 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, 8and the Chaldeans will come back and attack this city. They will capture it and set it on fire. 9Do not deceive yourselves by saying that the Chaldeans are not to come back, because they surely will. 10Even 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.”
Jeremiah in the well
11While the Chaldean army was with drawing from Jerusalem be cause of the advance of Pharaoh’s troops, 12Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin to receive an inheritance there. 13But upon reaching the Benjamin Gate he was stopped by a sentry named Irijah, son of Shelemiah, son of Hana niah who said, “You are deserting to the Baby lonians!” 14Jeremiah answered, “There’s no truth to that!” But Irijah did not listen. He nabbed Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15They were so angry with Jeremiah, they beat him and locked him in the house of Jona than the secretary which had been transformed into a prison.
16Jeremiah was put in the dungeon cells and was kept there for a number of days. 17Then King Zede kiah sent for him and secretly questioned him in his house:“Is there any word from Yah weh?” Jeremiah replied, “Yes, there is!” and added, “You will be hand ed over to the king of Babylon!”
18Then 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? 19Where are your prophets 20who 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!”
21So 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.
