Jonathan

11The army of Babylon had left Jerusalem because they were afraid of Egypt's army.

And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,

12So Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem. He was going to the land of Benjamin to get the piece of land that was his.

Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.

NoteFamilies in Israel each had their own piece of land. It was passed down from parents to children. Benjamin was the part of the country Jeremiah came from.

13He reached the city gate called the Gate of Benjamin. The captain of the guards was there. His name was Irijah, son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah. He grabbed Jeremiah and said, "You are running away to join the army of Babylon!"

And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

NoteThe wall around a city had gates. Guards stood there and watched who went in and out. Irijah thought Jeremiah was leaving to help the enemy.

14Jeremiah said, "That is not true. I am not going to join them." But Irijah would not listen. He took Jeremiah to the king's leaders.

Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

15The leaders were angry with Jeremiah. They beat him. Then they shut him up in the house of Jonathan the writer. That house had been made into a prison.

Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

NoteA writer, or scribe, was a man whose job was writing things down. Most people back then could not read or write.

16Jeremiah was put down in a small room under the ground. He stayed there many days.

When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

NoteThis was a dark room dug under the ground. It was used to lock people up.

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

Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

Note"Handed over" means put into someone else's power. Jeremiah is saying the king of Babylon will catch Zedekiah.

18Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, "What wrong have I done to you? What wrong have I done to your helpers or to these people? Why have you put me in prison?

Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

19Where are your prophets now? They told you the king of Babylon would never come against you or this land.

Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

20Now please listen, my lord the king. Please say yes to what I ask. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the writer. If you do, I will die there."

Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Note"My lord the king" was a polite way to talk to a king. It is like saying "sir" today.

21So King Zedekiah gave an order. Jeremiah was to be kept in the open yard by the guards. Each day he was to be given a loaf of bread from the bakers' street. This lasted until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the guards' yard.

Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

NoteIn that city, all the bread shops sat on one street together. It was called the bakers' street. The bread ran out because the enemy army stopped food from coming in. The open yard was a much better place to stay than the dark room under the ground.

24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone know about this talk, or you will die.

Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

25The officials may hear that I spoke with you. They may come and say, 'Tell us what you said to the king. Tell us what he said to you. Do not hide it, or we will kill you.'

But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:

26If they do, tell them this. Say, 'I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'"

Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.

NoteJonathan's house had been used as a prison. Jeremiah had been locked up there before. It was a hard place to stay.

27Then all the officials came and questioned Jeremiah. He told them just what the king had told him to say. So they stopped asking him questions. No one had heard the real talk.

Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

28So Jeremiah stayed in the prison yard until the day Jerusalem was taken. He was still there when the city fell.

So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

NoteA city was "taken" when the enemy finally broke in. The army got past the walls and captured it.