1And Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, made Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, instead of Coniah (Jehoiachin), son of Jehoiakim. 2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of Judah, obeyed the words of the LORD, which He spoke by the prophet, Jeremiah. 3And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal, son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now unto the LORD, our God, for us.” 4Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people; for he was not yet held in prison. 5Then Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans (Babylonians) that besieged Jerusalem heard reports of them, they withdrew from their siege of Jerusalem. 6Then the word of the LORD came to the prophet, Jeremiah: 7“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of Me, “Behold, Pharaoh's army, which has come to help you, shall return to their own land of Egypt. 8And the Chaldeans (Babylonians) shall again come, and fight against this city, take it, and burn it. 9This is what the LORD says, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, thinking the Chaldeans (Babylonians) shall surely withdraw from us; for they shall not! 10For even if you defeated the whole Babylonian army, leaving only a few of their wounded, yet they would rise from their tents, and burn this city.’”’”

11And after the Chaldean army was driven from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, 12Jeremiah started to leave the city of Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his share of property among his relatives there, 13But when he reached the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard there, named Irijah, son of Shelemiah, grandson of Hananiah; stopped Jeremiah, and said, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14Jeremiah replied, “That is not true! I am not defecting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah did not believe him; and arrested Jeremiah, and brought him to the officials 15Therefore, the officials were angry with Jeremiah, and had him flogged, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan, the scribe; that they had made into a prison. 16Jeremiah was put in a dungeon cell, and remained there many days.

17Then King Zedekiah sent, and had him brought to the palace; and the king asked him privately, “Is there any word from the LORD?” And Jeremiah said, “There is: you shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.” 18Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah, “What crime have I committed against you, your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19Where are your prophets now, who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon shall not attack you, or this land? 20But now hear, I pray you, O my lord the king; let my petition be accepted before you, that you do not send me back to prison in the house of Jonathan, the scribe, or I may die there.” 21Then Zedekiah commanded that they put Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guard, and that they should give him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street each day, until all the bread in the city was gone. So, Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.