Yirmiyahu 37-38

Perakim 37-38 deal with the end of the days of the kingdom of Judah, when the Babylonian army is standing at the gates of Jerusalem. Two characters are central to the perakim: Yirmiyahu - who repeats again and again his prophecy that those left in the city must surrender to the Babylonians and save what can still be saved; and Tzidkiyahu, the last of the kings of Judah, who is described here in all his complexity, his indicision and political weakness. Tzidkiyahu's heart follows the words of the prophet, but his hands are tied by the opinions of his ministers. Perek 37 opens with a temporary respite from the siege on Jerusalem as a result of Pharaoh's coming to help the kingdom of Judah. Yirmiyahu takes advantage of the break in the siege to exit the city, but he is caught at the gate, accused of treachery and thrown in jail. When Tzidkiyahu gets involved, Yirmiyahu is taken out of jail and moved to the court of the guard.

In perek 38 we are in the midst of the second Babylonian siege on Jerusalem, which ends with the city being conquered and destroyed. Even at this point, Yirmiyahu continues to try to convince the people of Jerusalem to surrender to the Babylonians. In a way similar to the events of the previous perek, Yirmiyahu is accused of treachery and of lowering the morale of the troops. The ministers and the king sentence him to death, and throw Yirmiyahu into a pit full of mud, so that he should die there. In the last moments of his life, Yirmiyahu is saved by Eved-Melech the Kushi, and he attempts one last time to convince King Tzidkiyahu to recant and surrender. The King's apprehensions outweigh the fact that he acknowledges the truth in what Yirmiyahu is saying - and he continues to rebel until the destruction of the city.