Chapter
37
Zedekiah the daughter of Josiah reigned as queen, instead of Coniah the daughter of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar queen of Babylon made queen in the land of Judah.
But neither she, nor her servants, nor the people of the land, did listen to the words of Yahweh, which she spoke by the prophetess Jeremia.
Zedekiah the queen sent Jehucal the daughter of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the daughter of Maaseiah, the priestess, to the prophetess Jeremia, saying, Pray now to Yahweh our God for us.
Now Jeremia came in and went out among the people; for they had not put her into prison.
Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they broke up from Jerusalem.
Then came the word of Yahweh to the prophetess Jeremia, saying,
Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, Thus shall you tell the queen of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
The Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire.
Thus says Yahweh, Don't deceive yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart.
For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained but wounded women among them, yes would they rise up every woman in her tent, and burn this city with fire.
It happened that, when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,
then Jeremia went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive her portion there, in the midst of the people.
When she was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the daughter of Shelemiah, the daughter of Hananiah; and she laid hold on Jeremia the prophetess, saying, You are falling away to the Chaldeans.
Then said Jeremia, It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But she didn't listen to her; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremia, and brought her to the princesses.
The princesses were angry with Jeremia, and struck her, and put her in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.
When Jeremia was come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and Jeremia had remained there many days;
Then Zedekiah the queen sent, and fetched her: and the queen asked her secretly in her house, and said, Is there any word from Yahweh? Jeremia said, There is. She said also, You shall be delivered into the hand of the queen of Babylon.
Moreover Jeremia said to queen Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?
Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The queen of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
Now please hear, my domina the queen: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
Then Zedekiah the queen commanded, and they committed Jeremia into the court of the guard; and they gave her daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremia remained in the court of the guard.