1 ¶ Now Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, made Zedekiah the son of Josiah king in the land of Judah, in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.

2 But neither he, or his servants, or the people of the land, paid attention to the words of the LORD, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah.

3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Please pray to the LORD our God for us.

4 Now Jeremiah was still free to go among the people: for they had not yet put him into prison.

5 Then Pharaoh’s army came out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the news, they departed from Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

7 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says; This is what you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, will go back home to Egypt.

8 And the Chaldeans will return, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

9 The LORD says; Do not deceive yourselves, by saying, The Chaldeans will surely leave us: for they will not leave.

10 For even if you defeated the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against you, and only wounded men remained among them, each in his tent, they would still rise up, and burn this city with fire.

11 ¶ When the army of the Chaldeans had broken off the siege of Jerusalem because Pharaoh’s army was coming,

12 Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to take possession of his property there in the presence of the people.

13 But when he had reached the gate of Benjamin, a sentry on guard there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; arrested Jeremiah the prophet, saying, You are deserting to the Chaldeans.

14 Then Jeremiah said, That is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans. But he would not listen to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15 Therefore the princes were enraged at Jeremiah, and beat him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

16 So Jeremiah went into the cells of a dungeon, and had remained there for many days;

17 Then Zedekiah the king sent for him, and took him out: and the king asked him privately in his palace, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, he said, you will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

18 Jeremiah then asked the king Zedekiah, What wrong have I done to you, or to your servants, or to these people, that you have put me in prison?

19 Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon will not come against you, or against this land?

20 Therefore I plead with you to listen, O my lord the king: and beg you to let my humble plea, be accepted by you; so that you do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

21 Then Zedekiah the king gave an order that Jeremiah should be placed in the court of the prison, and that they should give him a loaf of bread each day, from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city had been eaten. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.