1 And Tzidkiyahu the son of Yoshiyahu reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Yehoyakim, whom Nevuchadretzar king of Bavel made king in the land of Yehudah.
א וַיִּמְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ בֶּן יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ תַּחַת כָּנְיָהוּ בֶּן יְהוֹיָקִים אֲשֶׁר הִמְלִיךְ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה.
2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of Hashem, which He spoke by the navi Yirmiyahu.
ב וְלֹא שָׁמַע הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו וְעַם הָאָרֶץ אֶל דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא.
3 And Tzidkiyahu the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the Kohen, to the navi Yirmiyahu, saying: ‘Pray now unto Hashem our God for us.’
ג וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶת יְהוּכַל בֶּן שֶׁלֶמְיָה וְאֶת צְפַנְיָהוּ בֶן מַעֲשֵׂיָה הַכֹּהֵן אֶל יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר הִתְפַּלֶּל נָא בַעֲדֵנוּ אֶל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ.
4 Now Yirmiyahu came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison.
ד וְיִרְמְיָהוּ בָּא וְיֹצֵא בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם וְלֹא נָתְנוּ אֹתוֹ בֵּית הכליא (הַכְּלוּא).
5 And Paroh‘ s army was come forth out of Mitzrayim; and when the Chaldeans that besieged Yerushalayim heard tidings of them, they broke up from Yerushalayim.
ה וְחֵיל פַּרְעֹה יָצָא מִמִּצְרָיִם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַצָּרִים עַל יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶת שִׁמְעָם וַיֵּעָלוּ מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלִָם.
6 Then came the word of Hashem unto the navi Yirmiyahu, saying:
ו וַיְהִי דְּבַר יְהוָה אֶל יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר.
7 ‘Thus saith Hashem, the God of Yisrael: Thus shall ye say to the king of Yehudah, that sent you unto Me to inquire of Me: Behold, Paroh‘ s army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Mitzrayim into their own land.
ז כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ אֶל מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי לְדָרְשֵׁנִי הִנֵּה חֵיל פַּרְעֹה הַיֹּצֵא לָכֶם לְעֶזְרָה שָׁב לְאַרְצוֹ מִצְרָיִם.
8 And the Chaldeans shall return, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire.
ח וְשָׁבוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְנִלְחֲמוּ עַל הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וּלְכָדֻהָ וּשְׂרָפֻהָ בָאֵשׁ.
9 Thus saith Hashem: Deceive not yourselves, saying: The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart.
ט כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה אַל תַּשִּׁאוּ נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר הָלֹךְ יֵלְכוּ מֵעָלֵינוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים כִּי לֹא יֵלֵכוּ.
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 would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.’
י כִּי אִם הִכִּיתֶם כָּל חֵיל כַּשְׂדִּים הַנִּלְחָמִים אִתְּכֶם וְנִשְׁאֲרוּ בָם אֲנָשִׁים מְדֻקָּרִים אִישׁ בְּאָהֳלוֹ יָקוּמוּ וְשָׂרְפוּ אֶת הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בָּאֵשׁ.
11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Yerushalayim for fear of Paroh‘ s army,
יא וְהָיָה בְּהֵעָלוֹת חֵיל הַכַּשְׂדִּים מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלִָם מִפְּנֵי חֵיל פַּרְעֹה.
12 then Yirmiyahu went forth out of Yerushalayim to go into the land of Binyamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people.
va-yay-TZAY yir-mi-YA-hu mee-ru-sha-LA-yim la-LE-khet E-retz bin-ya-MIN la-kha-LIK mi-SHAM b’-TOKH ha-AM
יב וַיֵּצֵא יִרְמְיָהוּ מִירוּשָׁלִַם לָלֶכֶת אֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן לַחֲלִק מִשָּׁם בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם.
13 And when he was in the gate of Binyamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Chananya; and he laid hold on Yirmiyahu the navi, saying: ‘Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.’
יג וַיְהִי הוּא בְּשַׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן וְשָׁם בַּעַל פְּקִדֻת וּשְׁמוֹ יִרְאִיָּיה בֶּן שֶׁלֶמְיָה בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ אֶת יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר אֶל הַכַּשְׂדִּים אַתָּה נֹפֵל.
14 Then said Yirmiyahu: ‘It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans’; but he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Yirmiyahu, and brought him to the princes.
יד וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ שֶׁקֶר אֵינֶנִּי נֹפֵל עַל הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלָיו וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ יִרְאִיָּיה בְּיִרְמְיָהוּ וַיְבִאֵהוּ אֶל הַשָּׂרִים.
15 And the princes were wroth with Yirmiyahu, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Yehonatan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.
טו וַיִּקְצְפוּ הַשָּׂרִים עַל יִרְמְיָהוּ וְהִכּוּ אֹתוֹ וְנָתְנוּ אוֹתוֹ בֵּית הָאֵסוּר בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר כִּי אֹתוֹ עָשׂוּ לְבֵית הַכֶּלֶא.
16 When Yirmiyahu was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Yirmiyahu had remained there many days;
טז כִּי בָא יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל בֵּית הַבּוֹר וְאֶל הַחֲנֻיוֹת וַיֵּשֶׁב שָׁם יִרְמְיָהוּ יָמִים רַבִּים.
17 then Tzidkiyahu the king sent, and fetched him; and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said: ‘Is there any word from Hashem?’ And Yirmiyahu said: ‘There is.’ He said also: ‘Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Bavel.’
יז וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּבֵיתוֹ בַּסֵּתֶר וַיֹּאמֶר הֲיֵשׁ דָּבָר מֵאֵת יְהוָה וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ יֵשׁ וַיֹּאמֶר בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל תִּנָּתֵן.
18 Moreover Yirmiyahu said unto king Tzidkiyahu: ‘Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
יח וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶה חָטָאתִי לְךָ וְלַעֲבָדֶיךָ וְלָעָם הַזֶּה כִּי נְתַתֶּם אוֹתִי אֶל בֵּית הַכֶּלֶא.
19 Where now are your Neviim that prophesied unto you, saying: The king of Bavel shall not come against you, nor against this land?
יט ואיו (וְאַיֵּה) נְבִיאֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר נִבְּאוּ לָכֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא יָבֹא מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל עֲלֵיכֶם וְעַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת.
20 And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Yehonatan the scribe, lest I die there.’
כ וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע נָא אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ תִּפָּל נָא תְחִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ וְאַל תְּשִׁבֵנִי בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר וְלֹא אָמוּת שָׁם.
21 Then Tzidkiyahu the king commanded, and they committed Yirmiyahu into the court of the guard, and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Yirmiyahu remained in the court of the guard.
כא וַיְצַוֶּה הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ וַיַּפְקִדוּ אֶת יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה וְנָתֹן לוֹ כִכַּר לֶחֶם לַיּוֹם מִחוּץ הָאֹפִים עַד תֹּם כָּל הַלֶּחֶם מִן הָעִיר וַיֵּשֶׁב יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה.
37:12 To go into the land of Benjamin
The Egyptians manage to temporarily repulse the Babylonian invaders, thus ending the siege of Jerusalem. With the siege lifted, Jeremiah leaves the capital for the tribal land of Benjamin where he is from, to inherit a portion of land. The area of Benjamin encompasses the mountain ridges found to the immediate north of Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s hometown, Anathoth, was a city of priests located just north of Jerusalem. It It has been identified with the modern day Arab village of Anata.
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