Jeremiah 44

1 Zedekiah son of Josiah became king in place of Jehoiakim; Nebuchadnezzar made him king to reign over Judah. 2 But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of the Lord that he spoke through Jeremiah. 3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah to say, “Please pray for us to the Lord.” 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going through the middle of the city, for they had not yet put him in the prison house. 5 And Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans heard the report of them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 7 “This is what the Lord says: This is what you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent to you to inquire of me: Look, Pharaoh’s army, which came out to help you, will go back to the land of Egypt,” 8 “and the Chaldeans themselves will come back and fight against this city, and they will take it and burn it with fire.” 9 “For this is what the Lord says: Do not fool yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans will surely go away and leave us — for they will not go away.” 10 “Even if you struck down the whole army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and only a few wounded men were left, each in his place, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.”

11 When the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to buy property there among the people. 13 He was at the Benjamin Gate, and a man with whom he used to lodge was there — Saruia son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah — and he seized Jeremiah, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” [a] 14 Jeremiah said, “That is a lie. I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But he would not listen to him, and Saruia seized Jeremiah and brought him to the rulers. 15 The rulers were furious with Jeremiah. They beat him and sent him to the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made it a prison house. 16 So Jeremiah went into the cistern house, into the cells, and he stayed there many days. [b]

17 Then Zedekiah sent and summoned him, and the king asked him in secret to tell him whether there was any word from the Lord. He said, “There is: you will be handed over into the hands of the king of Babylon.” 18 Then Jeremiah said to the king, “How have I wronged you, or your servants, or this people, that you have put me in a prison house?” 19 “And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon will not come against this land?” 20 “Now, my lord the king, let my plea for mercy fall before you. Why should you send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, so that I die there?” 21 So the king gave orders, and they put him in the prison house and gave him one loaf a day from the place where they bake, until the bread ran out in the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard. [c]