37 And King Zed·e·kyʹah the son of Jo·syʹah began to reign in place of Co·nyʹah the son of Ye·hoiʹa·kim, for King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon made him king in the land of Judah. 2 But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} spoken through Yeremyah the prophet.
3 And King Zed·e·kyʹah sent Ye·huʹcal the son of Shel·e·myʹah and Zeph·a·nyʹah the son of Ma·a·seyʹah the priest to Yeremyah the prophet, saying: “Please pray in our behalf to Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} our Al {pre. Ahl}.” 4 Yeremyah was moving about freely among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. 5 Now Pharʹaoh’s army had set out from Egypt, and the Chal·deʹans who were besieging Yerushalom heard the report about them. So they withdrew from against Yerushalom. 6 Then the word of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} came to Yeremyah the prophet, saying: 7 “This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} the Al {pre. Ahl} of Isra'Al says, ‘This is what you should say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: “Look! The army of Pharʹaoh that is coming to assist you will have to go back to its land, Egypt. 8 And the Chal·deʹans will come back and fight against this city and capture it and burn it with fire.” 9 This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says, “Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chal·deʹans will surely go away from against us,’ because they will not go away. 10 Even if you were to strike down the entire army of the Chal·deʹans who are fighting against you and only their wounded men were left, they would still rise up from their tents and burn this city with fire.”’”
11 When the Chal·deʹan army had withdrawn from against Yerushalom because of Pharʹaoh’s army, 12 Yeremyah set out from Yerushalom to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among his people. 13 But when he reached the Gate of Benjamin, the officer in charge of the guard, whose name was I·riʹyah the son of Shel·e·myʹah the son of Han·a·nyʹah, seized Yeremyah the prophet and said: “You are deserting to the Chal·deʹans!” 14 But Yeremyah said: “It is not true! I am not deserting to the Chal·deʹans.” But he did not listen to him. So I·riʹyah arrested Yeremyah and brought him in to the princes. 15 The princes were furious with Yeremyah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Ye·honʹa·than the secretary, which had been made into a prison. 16 Yeremyah was put into the dungeon, into the vaulted rooms, and he remained there many days.
17 Then King Zed·e·kyʹah sent for him, and the king secretly questioned him in his house. He asked, “Is there any word from Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}?” Yeremyah said, “There is!” and he continued, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon!”
18 Yeremyah also said to King Zed·e·kyʹah: “How have I sinned against you and against your servants and against this people, so that you have put me into the prison? 19 Where, now, are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now listen, please, O my lord the king. May you grant, please, my request for favor. Do not send me back to the house of Ye·honʹa·than the secretary, or I will die there.” 21 So King Zed·e·kyʹah ordered that Yeremyah be put in custody in the Courtyard of the Guard, and he was given a round loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers until all the bread in the city was gone. And Yeremyah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard.