Jeremiah 37 (NET)

Jeremiah 37:1¹Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim as king. He was elevated to the throne of the land of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:2²Neither he nor the officials who served him nor the people of Judah paid any attention to what the Lord said through the prophet Jeremiah.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:3³King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah to say, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:4⁴(Now Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison. So he was still free to come and go among the people as he pleased.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:5⁵At that time the Babylonian forces had temporarily given up their siege against Jerusalem. They had had it under siege, but withdrew when they heard that the army of Pharaoh had set out from Egypt. )Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:6⁶The Lord’ s message came to the prophet Jeremiah,Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:7⁷“This is what the Lord God of Israel has said, ‘This is what you must say to the king of Judah who sent you to seek my help. “Beware, Pharaoh’s army that was on its way to help you is about to go back home to Egypt.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:8⁸Then the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:9⁹Moreover, I, the Lord, warn you not to deceive yourselves into thinking that the Babylonian forces will go away and leave you alone. For they will not go away.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:10¹⁰For even if you were to defeat all the Babylonian forces fighting against you so badly that only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they would get up and burn this city down.”’”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:11¹¹The following events also occurred while the Babylonian forces had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem because the army of Pharaoh was coming.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:12¹²Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin. He wanted to make sure he got his share of the property that was being divided up among his family there.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:13¹³But he only got as far as the Benjamin Gate. There an officer in charge of the guards named Irijah, who was the son of Shelemiah and the grandson of Hananiah, stopped him. He seized Jeremiah and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:14¹⁴Jeremiah answered, “That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under arrest and took him to the officials.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:15¹⁵The officials were very angry with Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted into a place for confining prisoners.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:16¹⁶So Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan’s house. He was kept there for a long time.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:17¹⁷Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him privately and asked him, “Is there any message from the Lord?” Jeremiah answered, “Yes, there is.” Then he announced, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:18¹⁸Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you, or the officials who serve you, or the people of Judah? What have I done to make you people throw me into prison?Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:19¹⁹Where now are the prophets who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land?Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:20²⁰But now please listen, your royal Majesty, and grant my plea for mercy. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary. If you do, I will die there.”Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s

Jeremiah 37:21²¹Then King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be committed to the courtyard of the guardhouse. He also ordered that a loaf of bread be given to him every day from the bakers’ street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah was kept in the courtyard of the guardhouse.Copy LinkCopy VerseKJV+Strong’s