Jeremiah 37:11-21 - Jeremiah Is Arrested And Put In Prison

¹¹ Now when the Host of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of the Egyptian's army, ¹² Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem toward the land of Benjamin, to do certain business there among the people. ¹³ And when he came under Benjamin's port, there was a porter, called Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, which fell upon him, and took him, saying, "Thy mind is to run to the Chaldeans."

¹⁴ Then said Jeremiah, "It is not so, I go not to the Chaldeans." Nevertheless Irijah would not believe him, but brought Jeremiah bound before the princes. ¹⁵ Wherefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, causing him to be beaten, and to be laid in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe. For he was the ruler of the prison. ¹⁶ Thus was Jeremiah put into the dungeon and prison, and so lay there a long time.

¹⁷ Then Zedekiah the king sent for him and called him, and asked him quietly in his own house, saying, "Thinkest thou this business, that now is in hand, cometh of the LORD?" Jeremiah answered, "Yea, that it doth: and thou, said he, shalt be delivered in to the king of Babylon's power." ¹⁸ Moreover, Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, "What have I offended against thee, against thy servants or against this people, that ye have caused me to be put in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your prophets which have prophesied unto you, and said that the king of Babylon should not come against you and this land? ²⁰ And therefore hear now, O my lord the king: let my prayer be accepted before thee, and send me no more into the house of Jonathan the Scribe, that I die not there."

²¹ Then Zedekiah the king commanded to put Jeremiah in the fore entry of the prison, and daily to be given him a cake of bread of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was eaten up. Thus Jeremiah remained in the fore entry of the prison.