1And Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king instead of Coniah son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
2But he did not listen, he and his servants and the people of the land, to the words of YHWH which he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet.
3And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying: Pray now for us to YHWH our God.
4And Jeremiah was coming in and going out among the people, for they had not put him into the house of imprisonment.
5And the army of Pharaoh had come out from Egypt; and the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report of them, and they went up from upon Jerusalem.
6And the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
7Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: Thus you shall say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, the army of Pharaoh which came out to you for help is returning to its land, Egypt.
8And the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
9Thus says YHWH: Do not deceive your souls (nephesh), saying: The Chaldeans will surely go away from us; for they will not go.
10For though you had struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, and there remained among them wounded men (ish), each man (ish) in his tent would rise up and burn this city with fire.
11And it came to pass, when the army of the Chaldeans had broken up from upon Jerusalem because of the army of Pharaoh,
12that Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion from there in the midst of the people.
13And he was in the Gate of Benjamin, and there was a master of the ward whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying: You are falling away to the Chaldeans.
14And Jeremiah said: Falsehood! I am not falling away to the Chaldeans; but he did not listen to him; and Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes.
15And the princes were angry at Jeremiah, and they struck him, and put him in the house of imprisonment, the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made it the prison house.
16When Jeremiah had come into the house of the pit and into the cells, and Jeremiah dwelt there many days,
17then Zedekiah the king sent and took him, and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said: Is there a word from YHWH? And Jeremiah said: There is. And he said: Into the hand of the king of Babylon you will be given.
18And Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah: What have I sinned against you, and against your servants, and against this people, that you have put me into the house of imprisonment?
19And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying: The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land?
20And now hear, please, my lord the king: let my supplication fall, please, before you, and do not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
21And Zedekiah the king commanded (tzivvah), and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard, and gave to him a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread from the city was spent. And Jeremiah dwelt in the court of the guard.