1Zedekiah son of Josiah was set on the throne of Judah by King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim,
2but neither he nor his courtiers nor the people of the land heeded the words which the LORD spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.
3King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah to say to him, “Intercede on our behalf with the LORD our God.”
4At the time Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people; he had not yet been committed to prison.
5Meanwhile Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Chaldaeans who were besieging Jerusalem were apprised of this they raised the siege.
6Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah:
7These are the words of the LORD the God of Israel: Take this message to the king of Judah who sent you to consult me: Pharaoh's army which marched out to your aid is on its way back to Egypt, its own land,
8and the Chaldaeans will return to the attack. They will capture this city and burn it to the ground.
9These are the words of the LORD: Do not delude yourselves by imagining that the Chaldaeans will go away and leave you alone. They will not;
10supposing that you were to defeat the whole Chaldaean force now fighting against you, and only the wounded were left lying in their tents, even they would rise and burn down this city.
11After the Chaldaean army raised the siege of Jerusalem in the face of the advance of Pharaoh's army,
12Jeremiah was on the way out from Jerusalem to go into Benjamite territory to take possession of his holding among the people there.
13Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, the officer of the guard, was at the Benjamin Gate when Jeremiah reached it, and he arrested the prophet, accusing him of defecting to the Chaldaeans.
14“That is not true!” said Jeremiah. “I am not going over to the Chaldaeans.” Irijah refused to listen but brought him under arrest before the officers.
15The officers, furious with Jeremiah, had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which had been converted into a jail.
16Jeremiah was put into a vaulted pit beneath the house, and he remained there many days.
17King Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought to him and questioned him privately in the palace, asking if there was a word from the LORD. “There is,” said Jeremiah; “you will fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.”
18Jeremiah went on, “What wrong have I done to you or your courtiers or this people, that you have thrown me into prison?
19Where are your prophets who prophesied that the king of Babylon would not attack you or this country?
20I pray you now, my lord king, give me a hearing and let my petition be accepted: do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I shall die there.”
21Then King Zedekiah gave the order for Jeremiah to be committed to the court of the guardhouse, and as long as there was bread in the city he was granted a daily ration of one loaf from the Street of the Bakers. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse.