Jeremiah

The Prophet and the King

Josiah’s Zedekiah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to be king of Judah in the place of Coniah, son of Jehoiakim.

But neither he, nor his attendants, nor the people of the land paid attention to the words of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

King Zedekiah sent Jehucal, son of Shelemiah, with the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah to say, Intercede for us with the Lord our God!

At that time, Jeremiah had not yet been imprisoned, and he was still going about among the people.

Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt, and when the Chaldeans heard of this, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:

“The Lord the God of Israel has spoken. Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to consult me: Pharaoh’s army, which was on its way to help you, is about to return to its own land,

and the Chaldeans will come back and attack this city. They will capture it and set it on fire.

Do not deceive yourselves by saying that the Chaldeans are not to come back because they surely will.

Even if you had defeated the whole Chaldean army and they were left with only wounded men, they would all come out of their tents and set fire to this city.”

While the Chaldean army was withdrawing from Jerusalem because of the advance of Pharaoh’s troops,

Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the territory of Benjamin to receive an inheritance there.

But upon reaching the Benjamin Gate he was stopped by a sentry named Irijah, son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah who said: “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”

Jeremiah answered: “There’s no truth to that!” But Irijah did not listen. He nabbed Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

They were so angry with Jeremiah, they beat him and locked him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which had been transformed into a prison.

Jeremiah was put in the dungeon cells and kept there for several days.

Then King Zedekiah sent for him and secretly questioned him in his house: “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah replied: “Yes, there is!” and added: “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon!”

Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah: “What wrong have I done to you, to your servants or to the people that you should have me imprisoned?

Where are your prophets

who said to you: ‘The king of Babylon will never come to attack you and destroy this land?’ Now listen to me, my lord king! Take heed of my plea and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan, the secretary, for there I am doomed to die!”

So King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be transferred to the guard’s court and that every day he be supplied with a loaf of bread from the bakers’ street until there was no more bread. So Jeremiah remained in the guard’s court.