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¹ Tzidkiyahu the son of Yoshiyahu reigned as king, instead of Konyahu the son of Yehoiakim, whom Nevukhadretztzar king of Bavel made king in the land of Yehudah. ² But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did listen to the words of the LORD, which he spoke by the prophet Yirmeyahu. ³ Tzidkiyahu the king sent Yehukhal the son of Shelemyahu, and Tzefanyah the son of Ma`aseyah, the Kohen, to the prophet Yirmeyahu, saying, Pray now to the LORD our God for us. <sup>4</sup> Now Yirmeyahu came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. <sup>5</sup> Par`oh's army was come forth out of Mitzrayim; and when the Kasdim who were besieging Yerushalayim heard news of them, they broke up from Yerushalayim. ⁶ Then came the word of the LORD to the prophet Yirmeyahu, saying, ⁷ Thus says the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, Thus shall you tell the king of Yehudah, who sent you to me to inquire of me: Behold, Par`oh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Mitzrayim into their own land. ⁸ The Kasdim shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire. ⁹ Thus says the LORD, Don't deceive yourselves, saying, The Kasdim shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart. ¹⁰ For though you had struck the whole army of the Kasdim who fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yes would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

¹¹ It happened that, when the army of the Kasdim was broken up from Yerushalayim for fear of Par`oh's army, ¹² then Yirmeyahu went forth out of Yerushalayim to go into the land of Binyamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. ¹³ When he was in the gate of Binyamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Yeriyah, the son of Shelemyahu, the son of Hananyah; and he laid hold on Yirmeyahu the prophet, saying, You are falling away to the Kasdim. ¹⁴ Then said Yirmeyahu, It is false; I am not falling away to the Kasdim. But he didn't listen to him; so Yeriyah laid hold on Yirmeyahu, and brought him to the princes. ¹⁵ The princes were angry with Yirmeyahu, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Yonatan the Sofer; for they had made that the prison. ¹⁶ When Yirmeyahu was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Yirmeyahu had remained there many days; ¹⁷ Then Tzidkiyahu the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? Yirmeyahu said, There is. He said also, You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Bavel. ¹⁸ Moreover Yirmeyahu said to king Tzidkiyahu, Wherein have I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Bavel shall not come against you, nor against this land? ²⁰ Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Yonatan the Sofer, lest I die there. ²¹ Then Tzidkiyahu the king commanded, and they committed Yirmeyahu into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Yirmeyahu remained in the court of the guard.