Jeremiah 37

Jeremiah 37:1-21 (KJV) 

1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 

Nebuchadrezzar MADE Zedekiah king.

2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. 

Zedekiah nor the people he led obeyed God.

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

Zedekiah sent the priest to tell Jeremiah to pray!

 4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. 

Jeremiah had the freedom to move about.

5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

Egypt came to help Zedekiah and the Chaldeans left.

 6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 

God spoke to Jeremiah,

7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 

Egypt will not help you and Egypt is going back home.

8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. 

And those I sent to come against you will return just as I have already spoken.

9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. 

Do not tell yourself that the Chaldeans will not overtake you.

10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained [but] wounded men among them, [yet] should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. 

Even if you fought with the Chaldeans, it will be a temporary defeat; for the same men you wound will rise up and destroy this city.

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

After the Chaldeans left for a minute,

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

Then Jeremiah went to the land of Benjamin to leave the presence of people he knew or some commentators say that he went to handle business; but, there is no information for me to say any more than he left where he was to go to another place.

13 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. 

Irijah saw Jeremiah and arrested him saying he was running from the Chaldeans.

14 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. 

Irijah arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the princes.

15 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. 

Jeremiah was sent to Jonathan's house which was the prison they made. The prices were very upset with Jeremiah.

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

Jeremiah was in prison for many days.

17 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. 

Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah out of prison and brought him into the house and asked if there was a word from the Lord?  Jeremiah said yes, there is a word from God.  This city will be overtaken by the Babylonians.

18 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? 

Jeremiah wanted to know why he was put in prison?  He was telling the truth, but he was being locked up for speaking what God told him to say.

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

Jeremiah asked where are your prophets who tell you what you want to hear?

20 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.

Jeremiah asked Zedekiah not to send him back to the prison he came from.

 21 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.

Zedekiah did not send Jeremiah back to the dungeon he came from.  He allowed him to be confined in the king's court.