| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Zedekiah 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. | 1Josiah's son King Zedekiah reigned in place of Jehoiakim's son Coniah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king of the land of Judah. |
| 2Neither he nor the officials who served him nor the people of Judah paid any attention to what the LORD said through the prophet Jeremiah. | 2But neither he nor his officials nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD that were spoken by Jeremiah the prophet. |
| 3King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. He told them to say, "Please pray to the LORD our God on our behalf." | 3King Zedekiah sent Shelemiah's son Jehucal and Maaseiah's son Zephaniah the priest to Jeremiah the prophet, asking him, "Please pray to the LORD our God for us." |
| 4(Now Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison. So he was still free to come and go among the people as he pleased. | 4Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people since he had not yet been put in prison. |
| 5At 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.) | 5Pharaoh's army had come out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. |
| 6The LORD gave the prophet Jeremiah a message for them. He told him to tell them, | 6Then this message from the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: |
| 7"The LORD God of Israel says, 'Give a message to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help him. Tell him, "The army of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back home to Egypt. | 7"This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'This is what you are to say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me, "Look, Pharaoh's army that has come to help will go back to its own land of Egypt, |
| 8Then the Babylonian forces will return. They will attack the city and will capture it and burn it down. | 8and then the Chaldeans will come back to fight against this city, to capture it, and burn it with fire."' |
| 9Moreover, 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. | 9"This is what the LORD says: 'Don't deceive yourselves by saying, "The Chaldeans will surely go away from us," 'for they won't go. |
| 10For 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."'" | 10Indeed, even if you defeated the entire Chaldean army that is fighting against you, and they had only wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn this city with fire.'"'" |
| 11The following events also occurred while the Babylonian forces had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem because the army of Pharaoh was coming. | 11When the Chaldean army was leaving Jerusalem because of Pharaoh's army, |
| 12Jeremiah 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. | 12Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin to take possession of his property there among the people. |
| 13But 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!" | 13He was in the Gate of Benjamin, and chief officer Irijah, Shelemiah's son and the grandson of Hananiah, was there. He arrested Jeremiah the prophet, accusing him: "You are going over to the Chaldeans!" |
| 14Jeremiah 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. | 14Jeremiah said, "It's a lie! I'm not going over to the Chaldeans." But Irijah would not listen to him, and he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. |
| 15The officials were very angry at 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. | 15The officials were angry with Jeremiah and beat him. They put him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe because they had made it into a prison. |
| 16So Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan's house. He was kept there for a long time. | 16So Jeremiah came into the cells in the dungeon and remained there for a long time. |
| 17Then 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." | 17Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house: "Is there a message from the LORD?" Jeremiah said, "There is," and then he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." |
| 18Then 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? | 18Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, "What offense have I committed against you, your officials, or these people that you have put me in prison? |
| 19Where now are the prophets who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land? | 19Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, telling you: 'The king of Babylon won't come against you or against this land'? |
| 20But 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." | 20Now, please listen, your majesty, and pay attention to what I'm asking you. Don't make me go back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, so I don't die there." |
| 21Then 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 baker's street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah was kept in the courtyard of the guardhouse. | 21So King Zedekiah gave the order, and they assigned Jeremiah to the courtyard of the guard. Each day they gave him a loaf of bread from the bakers' street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard. |
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