Yirmeyah 37

1And Melech Tzidkiyah Ben Yoshiyah reigned instead of Coneyahu [Yehoyakin] Ben Y'hoyakim, whom Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel put on the throne in Eretz Yehudah.

2But neither he, nor his avadim, nor the Am HaAretz, did pay heed unto the Divrei Hashem, which He spoke by Jeremiah HaNavi.

3And HaMelech Tzidkiyah sent Yehukhal Ben Shelemyah and Tzephanyah Ben Maaseiyah the Kohen to Jeremiah HaNavi, saying, Hitpalel na (pray now) unto Hashem Eloheinu for us.

4Now Jeremiah came in and went out among HaAm; for they had not put him into bais hakeleh (prison).

5Then the army of Pharaoh was come forth out of Mitzrayim; and when the Kasdim (Chaldeans) that besieged Yerushalayim heard news of them, they withdrew from Yerushalayim.

6Then came the Devar Hashem unto Jeremiah HaNavi saying,

7Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel; Thus shall ye say to Melech Yehudah, that sent you unto Me to enquire of Me; Hinei, the army of Pharaoh, which is come forth l'ezrah (to help, support) you, shall return to Mitzrayim into their own land.

8And the Kasdim (Chaldeans) shall return, and fight against HaIr hazot (this City, T.N. i.e., Jerusalem) and capture it, and burn it down with eish.

9Thus saith Hashem; Deceive not nafshoteichem, saying, The Kasdim (Chaldeans) shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart.

10For though ye had struck down kol chayil Kasdim (the whole army of the Chaldeans) that fight against you, and there remained but anashim medukarim (wounded men) among them, yet should they rise up every ish in his ohel, and with eish burn down HaIr hazot.

11And it came to pass, that when the army of the Kasdim (Chaldeans) was withdrawn from Yerushalayim because of the army of Pharaoh,

12Then Jeremiah went forth out of Yerushalayim to go into the Eretz Binyamin, to get [his] chelek from there among HaAm.

13And when he was in the Sha'ar Binyamin, a ba'al pekidut (captain of the guard) was there, shmo Yiriyah Ben Shelemyah Ben Chananyah; and he arrested Jeremiah HaNavi, saying, Thou fallest away as a deserter to the Kasdim (Chaldeans).

14Then said Jeremiah, Sheker; I fall not away as a deserter to the Kasdim (Chaldeans). But he paid heed not to him; so Yiriyah arrested Jeremiah, and brought him to the sarim.

15Therefore the sarim were enraged with Jeremiah, and had him beaten, and put him in house arrest in the Bais Yohonatan the Sofer; for they had made that the bais hakeleh (prison).

16When Jeremiah was entered into the bais habor (dungeon), and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there yamim rabbim;

17Then HaMelech Tzidkiyah sent, and brought him out; and HaMelech asked him baseter (secretly) in his Bais (Palace), and said, Is there Devar from Hashem? And Jeremiah said, There is; for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the yad Melech Bavel.

18Moreover Jeremiah said unto HaMelech Tzidkiyah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy avadim, or against Am Hazeh, that ye have put me in bais hakeleh?

19Where are now your nevi'im which prophesied unto you, saying, Melech Bavel shall not come against you, nor against HaAretz hazot?

20Therefore hear now, O adoni HaMelech; let now my techinnah be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the Bais Yehonatan HaSofer, lest I die there.

21Then HaMelech Tzidkiyah commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the Khatzer (courtyard) of the Guard, and that they should give him daily kikar lechem (loaf of bread) out of the street of ha'ofim (the bakers), until all the lechem in the Ir was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the Khatzer (courtyard) of the Guard.