Jeremiah 37 - Simple English

1King Zedekiah son of Josiah became king in place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made him king in the land of Judah.

2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD, which he spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

3King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "Pray now to the LORD our God for us."

4Now Jeremiah came and went freely among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.

5Pharaoh's army had come out of Egypt. When the Chaldeans who were surrounding Jerusalem heard the news about them, they went away from Jerusalem.

6Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah:

7"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: This is what you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to ask me things. Look, Pharaoh's army, which has come out to help you, will go back to Egypt, to their own land."

8"And the Chaldeans will come back. They will fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire."

9"This is what the LORD says: Do not fool yourselves by saying, 'The Chaldeans will surely go away from us.' They will not go away."

10"Even if you had struck down the whole army of the Chaldeans who fight against you, so that only wounded men were left among them, they would each rise up in his tent and burn this city with fire."

11When the army of the Chaldeans had broken off from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

12Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to take his share of property there among the people.

13When he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah. He seized Jeremiah the prophet and said, "You are deserting to the Chaldeans."

14Then Jeremiah said, "That is false. I am not deserting to the Chaldeans." But Irijah would not listen to him. So Irijah took Jeremiah and brought him to the princes.

15The princes were angry with Jeremiah. They beat him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that into the prison.

16So Jeremiah went into the dungeon, into the cells, and stayed there many days.

17Then King Zedekiah sent for him and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, "Is there any word from the LORD?" Jeremiah said, "There is." He said, "You will be handed over to the king of Babylon."

18Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, "What wrong have I done to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in prison?"

19"Where are your prophets now, the ones who prophesied to you, saying, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land'?"

20"So listen now, please, my lord the king. Let my request come before you, I beg you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there."

21Then King Zedekiah gave orders that Jeremiah should be put in the court of the prison, and that he should be given a piece of bread each day from the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the prison.