Chapter 44

¹ And Sedekias the son of Josias reigned instead of ¹Joakim, whom Nabuchodonosor appointed to reign over Juda. ² And he and his servants and the people of the land hearkened not to the words of the Lord, which he spoke by Jeremias.

³ And king Sedekias sent Joachal son of Selemias and Sophonias the priest son of Maasæas to Jeremias, saying, Pray now for us to the Lord. ⁴ Now Jeremias ²came and went through the midst of the city: for they had not put him into the house of the prison. ⁵ And the host of Pharao was come forth out of Egypt; and the Chaldeans heard the report of them, and they went up ³from Jerusalem.

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⁶ And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying, ⁷ Thus said the Lord; Thus shalt thou say to the king of Juda who sent to thee, to seek me; Behold, the army of Pharao which is come forth to help you: they shall return to the land of Egypt: ⁸ and the Chaldeans themselves shall turn again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. ⁹ For thus saith he Lord; Suppose not in your hearts, saying, The Chaldeans will certainly depart from us: for they shall not depart. ¹⁰ And though ye should smite the whole host of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there should be left a few wounded men, these should rise up each in his place, and burn this city with fire.

¹¹ And it came to pass, when the host of the Chaldeans had gone up from Jerusalem for fear of the host of Pharao, ¹² that Jeremias went forth from Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, ⁴to buy thence a property in the midst of the people. ¹³ And he was in the gate of Benjamin, and there was there a man with whom he lodged, Saruia the son of Selemias, the son of Ananias; and he caught Jeremias, saying, Thou art fleeing to the Chaldeans. ¹⁴ And he said, It is false; I do not flee to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him; and Saruia caught Jeremias, and brought him to the princes. ¹⁵ And the princes were very angry with Jeremias, and smote him, and sent him into the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made this a prison.

¹⁶ So Jeremias came into the ⁵dungeon, and into the cells, and he remained there many days. ¹⁷ Then Sedekias sent, and called him; and the king asked him secretly, saying, Is there a word from the Lord? and he said, There is: thou shalt be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon. ¹⁸ And Jeremias said to the king, Wherein have I wronged thee, or thy servants, or this people, that thou puttest me in prison? ¹⁹ And where are your prophets who prophesied to you saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against this land? ²⁰ Now therefore, my lord the king, let my ⁶supplication come before thy face: and why dost thou send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe? and let me not on any account die there. ²¹ Then the king commanded, and they cast him into the prison, and gave him a loaf a day out of the place where they bake, until the bread failed out of the city. So Jeremias continued in the court of the prison.