1 Tzidkiyahu son of Yoshiyahu became king instead of Coniah son of Yehoyakim, for King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon set him up as king over the land of Yehuda.
א וַיִּמְלָךְ־מֶלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ תַּחַת כָּנְיָהוּ בֶּן־יְהוֹיָקִים אֲשֶׁר הִמְלִיךְ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה׃
2 Neither he nor his courtiers nor the people of the land gave heed to the words which Hashem spoke through the Navi Yirmiyahu.
ב וְלֹא שָׁמַע הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו וְעַם הָאָרֶץ אֶל־דִּבְרֵי יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא׃
3 Yet King Tzidkiyahu sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Tzefanya son of the Kohen Maaseiah to the Navi Yirmiyahu, to say, “Please pray on our behalf to Hashem our God.”
ג וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־יְהוּכַל בֶּן־שֶׁלֶמְיָה וְאֶת־צְפַנְיָהוּ בֶן־מַעֲשֵׂיָה הַכֹּהֵן אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר הִתְפַּלֶּל־נָא בַעֲדֵנוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
4 (Yirmiyahu could still go in and out among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.
ד וְיִרְמְיָהוּ בָּא וְיֹצֵא בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם וְלֹא־נָתְנוּ אֹתוֹ בֵּית הכליא [הַכְּלוּא׃]
5 The army of Pharaoh had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Yerushalayim heard the report, they raised the siege of Yerushalayim.)
ה וְחֵיל פַּרְעֹה יָצָא מִמִּצְרָיִם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַצָּרִים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם אֶת־שִׁמְעָם וַיֵּעָלוּ מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם׃
ו וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃
7 Thus said Hashem, the God of Yisrael: Thus shall you say to the king of Yehuda who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “The army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, will return to its own land, to Egypt.
ז כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ אֶל־מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי לְדָרְשֵׁנִי הִנֵּה חֵיל פַּרְעֹה הַיֹּצֵא לָכֶם לְעֶזְרָה שָׁב לְאַרְצוֹ מִצְרָיִם׃
8 And the Chaldeans will come back and attack this city and they will capture it and destroy it by fire.”
ח וְשָׁבוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְנִלְחֲמוּ עַל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וּלְכָדֻהָ וּשְׂרָפֻהָ בָאֵשׁ׃
9 Thus said Hashem: Do not delude yourselves into thinking, “The Chaldeans will go away from us.” They will not.
ט כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה אַל־תַּשִּׁאוּ נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר הָלֹךְ יֵלְכוּ מֵעָלֵינוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים כִּי־לֹא יֵלֵכוּ׃
10 Even if you defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans that are fighting against you, and only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they would get up and burn this city down!
י כִּי אִם־הִכִּיתֶם כָּל־חֵיל כַּשְׂדִּים הַנִּלְחָמִים אִתְּכֶם וְנִשְׁאֲרוּ בָם אֲנָשִׁים מְדֻקָּרִים אִישׁ בְּאָהֳלוֹ יָקוּמוּ וְשָׂרְפוּ אֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בָּאֵשׁ׃
11 When the army of the Chaldeans raised the siege of Yerushalayim on account of the army of Pharaoh,
יא וְהָיָה בְּהֵעָלוֹת חֵיל הַכַּשְׂדִּים מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם מִפְּנֵי חֵיל פַּרְעֹה׃
12 Yirmiyahu was going to leave Yerushalayim and go to the territory of Binyamin to share in some property there among the people.
va-yay-TZAY yir-m’-YA-hu mee-ru-sha-LA-im la-LE-khet E-retz bin-ya-MIN la-kha-LIK mi-SHAM b’-TOKH ha-AM
יב וַיֵּצֵא יִרְמְיָהוּ מִירוּשָׁלַ ִם לָלֶכֶת אֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן לַחֲלִק מִשָּׁם בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם׃
13 When he got to the Binyamin Gate, there was a guard officer there named Irijah son of Shelemiah son of Chananya; and he arrested the Navi Yirmiyahu, saying, “You are defecting 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 Yirmiyahu answered, “That’s a lie! I’m not defecting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would not listen to him; he arrested Yirmiyahu and brought him to the officials.
יד וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ שֶׁקֶר אֵינֶנִּי נֹפֵל עַל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלָיו וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ יִרְאִיָּיה בְּיִרְמְיָהוּ וַיְבִאֵהוּ אֶל־הַשָּׂרִים׃
15 The officials were furious with Yirmiyahu; they beat him and put him into prison, in the house of the scribe Yehonatan—for it had been made into a jail.
טו וַיִּקְצְפוּ הַשָּׂרִים עַל־יִרְמְיָהוּ וְהִכּוּ אֹתוֹ וְנָתְנוּ אוֹתוֹ בֵּית הָאֵסוּר בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר כִּי־אֹתוֹ עָשׂוּ לְבֵית הַכֶּלֶא׃
טז כִּי בָא יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־בֵּית הַבּוֹר וְאֶל־הַחֲנֻיוֹת וַיֵּשֶׁב־שָׁם יִרְמְיָהוּ יָמִים רַבִּים׃
17 Then King Tzidkiyahu sent for him, and the king questioned him secretly in his palace. He asked, “Is there any word from Hashem?” “There is!” Yirmiyahu answered, and he continued, “You will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”
יז וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּבֵיתוֹ בַּסֵּתֶר וַיֹּאמֶר הֲיֵשׁ דָּבָר מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ יֵשׁ וַיֹּאמֶר בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל תִּנָּתֵן׃
18 And Yirmiyahu said to King Tzidkiyahu, “What wrong have I done to you, to your courtiers, and to this people, that you have put me in jail?
יח וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶה חָטָאתִי לְךָ וְלַעֲבָדֶיךָ וְלָעָם הַזֶּה כִּי־נְתַתֶּם אוֹתִי אֶל־בֵּית הַכֶּלֶא׃
19 And where are those Neviim of yours who prophesied to you that the king of Babylon would never move against you and against this land?
יט ואיו [וְאַיֵּה] נְבִיאֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־נִבְּאוּ לָכֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא־יָבֹא מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עֲלֵיכֶם וְעַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת׃
20 Now, please hear me, O lord king, and grant my plea: Don’t send me back to the house of the scribe Yehonatan to die there.”
כ וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע־נָא אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ תִּפָּל־נָא תְחִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ וְאַל־תְּשִׁבֵנִי בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר וְלֹא אָמוּת שָׁם׃
21 So King Tzidkiyahu gave instructions to lodge Yirmiyahu in the prison compound and to supply him daily with a loaf of bread from the Bakers’ Street—until all the bread in the city was gone. Yirmiyahu remained in the prison compound.
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׃
The Egyptians manage to temporarily repulse the Babylonian invaders, thus ending the siege of Yerushalayim. With the siege lifted, Yirmiyahu leaves the capital for the tribal land of Binyamin, to inherit a portion of land. The area of Binyamin encompasses the mountain ridges found to the immediate north of Yerushalayim, and included Yirmiyahu’s hometown, the priestly city Anatot. This has been identified with the contemporary Arab village of Anata, which is now a neighborhood of Jerusalem.Comment