Jeremiah 37

1 Nebuchadnezzar [king of the Babylonian empire] king of Babylon made Zedekiah [whom Jehovah is righteous] son of Josiah [whom Jehovah heals] the king of Judah, and he reigned [to advise or counsel, to rule as a king] in place of [underneath, instead of] Coniah [Jehovah has appointed] son of Jehoiakim [Jehovah raises up]. word study 2 But he [the king, Zedekiah] and his officers [servants, attendants] and the people [nation, community] of the land [earth, territory] refused [did not obey, would not listen] to obey [to hear and heed] the words [messages, prophecies] that the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] had spoken [declared, uttered] through [by the means of, by the hand of] Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed] the prophet [spokesperson, messenger of God]. word study 3 Yet King [ruler, monarch] Zedekiah [Jehovah is righteous] sent Jehucal [Jehovah is able] son of Shelemiah [repaid by Jehovah] and Zephaniah [God has treasured] the priest [one who serves God], the son of Maaseiah [work of Jehovah], to Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed] the prophet [one who speaks for God] with the message, “Please [I pray, I beseech] pray [to intercede, to make petition] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] our God [Elohim, the one supreme God] for us [on our behalf, in our place]!” word study 4 Now Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed] was free [at liberty, unrestricted] to come [enter, approach] and go [depart, leave] among the people [a nation, a group of individuals], for they had not yet [up to this point, previously] put [placed, confined] him in prison [a place of confinement, imprisonment]. word study 5 Pharaoh’s [king of Egypt, ruler] army [force, military might] had left [come out, departed from] Egypt [the land of the Nile, a country in northeastern Africa], and when the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Mesopotamia, wise men] who were besieging [laying siege, confining] Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Judah] heard [listened to, received] the report [tidings, news], they withdrew [departed, went up] from Jerusalem [the holy city, place of worship]. word study 6 Then the word [message from God, divine communication] of the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] came [was given, came into being] to Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed] the prophet [one who speaks for God, spokesperson]: word study 7 “This is what the LORD [Yehovah, the God of covenant], the God [Elohim, the supreme deity] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, and his descendants], says that you are to tell the king [a royal person, with authority] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, son of Jacob], who sent you to Me: Behold [look, take notice], Pharaoh’s army [a powerful military force], which has marched out [come forth, gone out to battle] to help [assist, provide aid] you, will go back [return, turn back] to its own land [the territory, or region] of Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa]. word study 8 Then the Chaldeans [inhabitants of a region in Mesopotamia] will return [to turn back, come again] and fight [to battle against, consume] against this city [a place with a wall, a settlement]. They will capture [to seize, take control of] it and burn [to set on fire, kindle flames] it down [completely, with fire]. word study 9 This is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: Do not [absolutely not, under no circumstances] deceive [lead astray, mislead] yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans [inhabitants of a region in Mesopotamia] will go away [depart, leave] for good [permanently, forever],’ for they will not [certainly not, by no means]! word study 10 Indeed, if you were to strike down [smite, utterly defeat] the entire army [all the strength, every warrior] of the Chaldeans [Babylonians, the enemy forces] that is fighting [waging war, battling] against you, and only wounded men [those who are pierced, injured] remained in their tents [temporary dwellings, shelters], they would still get up [rise, stand up] and burn [set on fire, utterly destroy] this city [this town, the place of habitation] down [to the ground, completely].” word study 11 When the Chaldean [Babylonian, from the region of Chaldea] army [force, military might] withdrew [broke up, moved away] from Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine] for fear [because of the threat] of Pharaoh’s [the king of Egypt, a powerful leader] army [military force, strength], word study 12 Jeremiah [the prophet, whom Jehovah has appointed] started to leave [go out, depart from] Jerusalem [the city of peace] to go [walk, journey] to the land [earth, territory] of Benjamin [son of the right hand, the youngest son of Jacob] to claim [receive, take possession of] his portion [inheritance, share] there [in that place, among them] among the people [nation, community]. word study 13 But when he reached the Gate [entrance, doorway] of Benjamin [son of the right hand], the captain [master, leader] of the guard, whose name was Irijah [whom Jehovah has appointed] son of Shelemiah [repaid by Jehovah], the son of Hananiah [God has favored], seized [captured, took hold of] him and said, “You [as an individual, personally] are deserting [falling away, fleeing] to the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia]!” word study 14 “That is a [falsehood, deception] lie,” Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed] replied. “I am not [falling away, defecting] deserting to the [Babylonians] Chaldeans!” But Irijah [did not heed] would not listen to him; instead, he [seized, captured] arrested Jeremiah and took him to the [princes, rulers] officials. word study 15 The officials [rulers, princes] were angry [furious, wroth] with Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed], and they beat [smote, struck] him and placed him in jail [prison, a place of confinement] in the house [dwelling place] of Jonathan [Jehovah has given] the scribe [secretary, recorder], for [because, since] it had been made [transformed, converted] into a prison [a place of bondage, confinement]. word study 16 So Jeremiah [the prophet, whom Jehovah has appointed] went into a cell [vault, small enclosed space] in the dungeon [pit, cistern, or prison] and remained [to dwell, sit, or abide] there [in that place, at that time] a long time [many days, an extended period]. word study 17 Later, King [the last king of Judah] Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace [the royal house, a place of secrecy], where he asked him privately [in secret, without others present], “Is there a word [message, revelation] from the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God]?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered [given, surrendered] into the hand [power, authority] of the king of Babylon [the ruler of the Babylonian empire].” word study 18 Then Jeremiah [the prophet, whom Jehovah has appointed] asked King Zedekiah [the last king of Judah, meaning Jehovah is righteous], “How [in what way, what have I done] have I sinned [missed the mark, gone wrong, incurred guilt] against you [as my king, ruler] or your servants [those who serve you, attend to your needs] or these people [this nation, the Israelites], that you have put me in prison [a place of confinement, a house of bondage]? word study 19 Where [in what location, how] are your prophets [messengers of God, spokespersons] who prophesied [spoke under divine inspiration] to you, claiming [saying, declaring], ‘The king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [a city of confusion, Babel] will not [never, under no circumstances] come against you [approach, attack] or this land’? word study 20 But now [at this time, in this moment] please [I pray, kindly] listen, O my lord [master, ruler] the king. May my petition [humble request, supplication] come before you [in your presence, face to face]. Do not [refuse, let not] send me back to the house [dwelling place, prison cell] of Jonathan [Jehonathan, God has given] the scribe [secretary, recorder], or I will die [perish, come to an end] there [in that place, at that time].” word study 21 So King [meaning Jehovah is righteous] Zedekiah gave orders [commanded, to appoint or ordain] for Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed] to be placed in the courtyard [a small settlement surrounded by walls, a village] of the guard [a guardhouse or prison, where people are watched and protected] and given a loaf of bread [food, especially grain or bread] daily [each day, a 24-hour period] from the street [outside, beyond a wall or boundary] of the bakers [those who bake or cook, to make bread], until all [everything, the whole] the bread [food, especially grain or bread] in the city [a town or settlement, often with a wall or watchman] was gone [finished, to complete or come to an end]. So Jeremiah remained [to dwell, to sit or abide] in the courtyard [a small settlement surrounded by walls, a village] of the guard [a guardhouse or prison, where people are watched and protected]. word study