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

¹¹ {And then}, at the withdrawing of the army of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem {before} the army of Pharaoh, ¹² Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go [to] the land of Benjamin to receive a portion from there in the midst of the people. ¹³ {And when} he [was] at the Gate of Benjamin, there [was] {a sentry on duty} whose name [was] Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, {saying}, "You [are] deserting to the Chaldeans!"

¹⁴ And Jeremiah said, "[That is] a lie! I [am] not deserting to the Chaldeans." But he would not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. ¹⁵ And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him [in] {prison}, [in] the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the {prison}. ¹⁶ So Jeremiah came to the {dungeon}, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.

¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, "Is there a word from Yahweh?" And Jeremiah said, "There is." And he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." ¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in {prison}? ¹⁹ And where [are] your prophets who prophesied to you, {saying}, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land'? ²⁰ Now then, my lord the king, please let my plea fall {before you}. You must not send me back [to] the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there."

²¹ So King Zedekiah commanded, and they handed Jeremiah over in the courtyard of the guard, and they gave to him a round loaf of bread from the street of the bakers {every day} until the finishing of all the bread from the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.