וַיִּמְלָךְ־מֶלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ בֶּן־יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ תַּחַת כָּנְיָהוּ בֶּן־יְהוֹיָקִים אֲשֶׁר הִמְלִיךְ נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה

Although this prophecy was stated in the final years of the reign of Tzidkiyahu, the chapter begins with mention of his coronation: Tzidkiyahu son of Yoshiyahu reigned as king in place of Konyahu, Yehoyakhin, son of Yehoyakim. Tzidkiyahu was the new ruler, as Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon crowned him king in the land of Judah. It was after conquering Jerusalem and exiling the new young king, Yehoyakhin, that Nebuchadnezzar appointed Tzidkiyahu son of King Yoshiyahu in his place. His original name was Matanya, but the king of Babylon changed it to Tzidkiyahu, presumably to assert his authority over him and to indicate that the new king must follow the path of justice [tzedek] and remain loyal to the Babylonian king.

וְלֹא שָׁמַע הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו וְעַם הָאָרֶץ אֶל־דִּבְרֵי ה' אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיַד יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא

But neither he, King Tzidkiyahu, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, heeded the words of the Lord that He spoke by the means of Jeremiah the prophet, not to rebel against Babylon.

וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶת־יְהוּכַל בֶּן־שֶׁלֶמְיָה וְאֶת־צְפַנְיָהוּ בֶן־מַעֲשֵׂיָה הַכֹּהֵן אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר הִתְפַּלֶּל־נָא בַעֲדֵנוּ אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ

Although King Tzidkiyahu did not heed the prophet, he sent a request with Yehukhal son of Shelemya, and Tzefanyahu son of Maaseya the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying: Please pray on our behalf to the Lord our God, that He should save us from the besieging Chaldeans.

וְיִרְמְיָהוּ בָּא וְיֹצֵא בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם וְלֹא־נָתְנוּ אֹתוֹ בֵּית הַכְּלוּא

At that time, Jeremiah still would come and go freely among the people, and they did not place him in prison. This state of affairs would soon change.

וחֵיל פַּרְעֹה יָצָא מִמִּצְרָיִם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים הַצָּרִים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶת־שִׁמְעָם וַיֵּעָלוּ מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלִָם

Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt, heading northward, and the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the tidings about them, and they withdrew from Jerusalem. Aware of the perpetual rivalry between these two superpowers, the kings of Judah and Israel typically sought to factor the regional balance of power into their considerations. When the Egyptian army approached, Nebuchadnezzar’s army, the Chaldeans, abandoned its siege on the city and reorganized into a defensive alignment.

וַיְהִי דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה תֹאמְרוּ אֶל־מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה הַשֹּׁלֵחַ אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי לְדָרְשֵׁנִי הִנֵּה חֵיל פַּרְעֹה הַיֹּצֵא לָכֶם לְעֶזְרָה שָׁב לְאַרְצוֹ מִצְרָיִם

So said the Lord, God of Israel: So you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to seek Me in prayer to accept his request: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, that ostensibly came out to you for assistance, is returning to its land, Egypt, for reasons of its own. Egyptian foreign policy was inconsistent and unreliable, and this military maneuver was merely a false threat to Babylon.

וְשָׁבוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְנִלְחֲמוּ עַל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת וּלְכָדֻהָ וּשְׂרָפֻהָ בָאֵשׁ

The Chaldeans will ultimately return and make war against this city, Jerusalem, and they will capture it and burn it in fire.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אַל־תַּשִּׁאוּ נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר הָלֹךְ יֵלְכוּ מֵעָלֵינוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים כִּי־לֹא יֵלֵכוּ

So said the Lord: Do not delude yourselves, saying: The Chaldeans will go from us and leave, not to return, for they will not go.

כִּי אִם־הִכִּיתֶם כָּל־חֵיל כַּשְׂדִּים הַנִּלְחָמִים אִתְּכֶם וְנִשְׁאֲרוּ־בָם אֲנָשִׁים מְדֻקָּרִים אִישׁ בְּאָהֳלוֹ — יָקוּמוּ וְשָׂרְפוּ אֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בָּאֵשׁ

For even if you smote the entire army of the Chaldeans, who are waging war with you, and there remained among them only wounded men, each man in his tent would rise and burn this city in fire. You will inevitably suffer defeat, from which there will be no escape even if you are able to smite the enemy.

וְהָיָה בְּהֵעָלוֹת חֵיל הַכַּשְׂדִּים מֵעַל יְרוּשָׁלִָם מִפְּנֵי חֵיל פַּרְעֹה

It was with the withdrawal of the Chaldean army from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, when the Chaldeans traveled away from the city and the siege was lifted,

וַיֵּצֵא יִרְמְיָהוּ מִירוּשָׁלִַם לָלֶכֶת אֶרֶץ בִּנְיָמִן לַחֲלִק מִשָּׁם בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם

that Jeremiah came out of Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion [lah·] from there. He had a field in Anatot, and possibly family as well. It may be that he went there to receive a portion of the food that was prepared for him. For this reason, he left Jerusalem, among the many other people who likewise took advantage of the lifting of the long siege. Alternatively, laḥalik means to escape. If so, the verse is saying that Jeremiah tried to escape Jerusalem to the land of Benjamin by intermingling with the multitude of people leaving the city.

וַיְהִי־הוּא בְּשַׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן וְשָׁם בַּעַל פְּקִדֻת וּשְׁמוֹ יִרְאִיָּיה בֶּן־שֶׁלֶמְיָה בֶּן־חֲנַנְיָה וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא לֵאמֹר אֶל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים אַתָּה נֹפֵל

He was at the Benjamin Gate, which was apparently the gate of Jerusalem facing the land of Benjamin, and a gate official was there, and his name was Yiriya, son of Shelemya, son of Hananya; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet and accused him, saying: You are defecting to the Chaldeans.

וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ שֶׁקֶר אֵינֶנִּי נֹפֵל עַל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלָיו וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ יִרְאִיָּיה בְּיִרְמְיָהוּ וַיְבִאֵהוּ אֶל־הַשָּׂרִים

Jeremiah said: It is a lie, I am not defecting to the Chaldeans; rather, I am going to my home. But he, the official, did not heed him, and Yiriya seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes to consider the matter.

וַיִּקְצְפוּ הַשָּׂרִים עַל־יִרְמְיָהוּ וְהִכּוּ אֹתוֹ וְנָתְנוּ אוֹתוֹ בֵּית הָאֵסוּר בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר כִּי־אֹתוֹ עָשׂוּ לְבֵית הַכֶּלֶא

The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him, and they placed him in prison that was in the house of Yehonatan the scribe, one of the princes, as they had rendered it, that house, a prison.

כִּי בָא יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־בֵּית הַבּוֹר וְאֶל־הַחֲנֻיּוֹת – וַיֵּשֶׁב־שָׁם יִרְמְיָהוּ יָמִים רַבִּים

For Jeremiah came into the dungeon and into the cells, and Jeremiah remained there many days. This verse is syntactically confusing; the commentaries explain that its first word means indeed, or when.

וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ וַיִּקָּחֵהוּ וַיִּשְׁאָלֵהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּבֵיתוֹ בַּסֵּתֶר וַיֹּאמֶר הֲיֵשׁ דָּבָר מֵאֵת ה' וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ יֵשׁ וַיֹּאמֶר בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל תִּנָּתֵן

King Tzidkiyahu sent for him and took him, and the king in his house asked him discreetly and said: Is there word from the Lord? Jeremiah said: There is. He elaborated: God said: Into the hand of the king of Babylon you will be delivered.

וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶה חָטָאתִי לְךָ וְלַעֲבָדֶיךָ וְלָעָם הַזֶּה כִּי־נְתַתֶּם אוֹתִי אֶל־בֵּית הַכֶּלֶא!

Jeremiah said to King Tzidkiyahu: How have I sinned against you and against your servants and against this people that you have placed me in prison?

וְאַיֵּה נְבִיאֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־נִבְּאוּ לָכֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא־יָבֹא מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עֲלֵיכֶם וְעַל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת!

Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying: The king of Babylon will not come upon you or upon this land? Tzidkiyahu was supposed to be loyal to the Chaldeans because they had appointed him. Although he was not a powerful king, Tzidkiyahu dared to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, relying upon statesmen and false prophets who predicted that the king of Babylon would not bother to come and punish him. Jeremiah, who for years had warned him not to rebel, claiming that it would lead to destruction, asked him: Where are all your experts now?

וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע־נָא אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ תִּפָּל־נָא תְחִנָּתִי לְפָנֶיךָ וְאַל־תְּשִׁבֵנִי בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן הַסֹּפֵר וְלֹא אָמוּת שָׁם

Now, please hear, my lord king: You know that I am not a traitor; I am simply conveying the prophecy that I received, whose truth is now clearly apparent. Why, then, must I remain in prison? Please, let my supplication fall before you, and do not return me to the house of Yehonatan the scribe, and let me not die there, due to the harsh conditions in the dungeon.

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

King Tzidkiyahu commanded, and they deposited Jeremiah in the court of internment. Tzidkiyahu did not set Jeremiah entirely free, but kept him in a detention camp of sorts, as opposed to an actual prison (see commentary on 32:2). And they gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers’ street in the marketplace, until the depletion of all the bread in the city. As long as there was bread in the city, the prophet received a daily ration on the king’s order. And Jeremiah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard.