Jeremiah 37:20

Contemporary English Version

Please, don't send me back to that prison at Jonathan's house. If you do, I will die."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So now please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

Hebrew Names Version
Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Yonatan the Sofer, lest I die there.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there."

New American Standard Bible
"But now, please listen, my lord the king; please let my plea come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, so that I will not die there."

New Century Version
But now, my master, king of Judah, please listen to me, and please do what I ask of you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the royal secretary, or I will die there!"

Amplified Bible
"Therefore now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and be acceptable and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there."

World English Bible
Now please hear, my lord the king: please let my supplication be presented before you, that you not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore heare nowe, I pray thee, O my lorde the King: let my prayer be accepted before thee, that thou cause mee not to returne to the house of Iehonathan the scribe, least I die there.

Legacy Standard Bible
But now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my supplication come before you, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there."

Berean Standard Bible
But now please listen, O my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there."

Complete Jewish Bible
So now, please listen, my lord king! I beg you, approve my request — don't make me return to the house of Y'honatan the secretary, or I will die there."

Darby Translation
And now hear, I pray thee, my lord, O king: let my supplication, I pray thee, come before thee; and cause me not to return into the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Easy-to-Read Version
But now, my lord, king of Judah, please listen to me. Please let me bring my request to you. This is what I ask: Don't send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe. If you send me back, I will die there."

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore now listen to me, O my lord the king; let my supplication be acceptable before you, that you may not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Good News Translation
And now, Your Majesty, I beg you to listen to me and do what I ask. Please do not send me back to the prison in Jonathan's house. If you do, I will surely die there."

Lexham English Bible
Now then, my lord the king, please let my plea fall before you. You must not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there."

Literal Translation
And now hear, I beg you, O my lord the king, please let my plea fall before you, so that you do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I not die there.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And therfore heare now, o my lorde the kynge: let my prayer be accepte before the, & sende me nomore in to ye house of Ionathas the scrybe, that I dye not there.

American Standard Version
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 Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Bible in Basic English
And now be pleased to give ear, O my lord the king; let my prayer for help come before you, and do not make me go back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, for fear that I may come to my death there.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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 Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.'

King James Version (1611)
Therefore heare 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 returne to the house of Ionathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And therfore heare nowe O my Lorde the kyng, let my prayer be accepted before thee, and sende me no more into the house of Ionathan the scribe, that I dye not there.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And their sons shall go in as before, and their testimonies shall be established before me, and I will visit them that afflict them.

English Revised Version
And now hear, 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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Now therfor, my lord the kyng, Y biseche, here thou, my preier be worth in thi siyt, and sende thou not me ayen in to the hous of Jonathas, the scryuen, lest Y die there.

Update Bible Version
And now hear, I pray you, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray you, be presented before you, that you don't cause me to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

New English Translation
But now please listen, your royal Majesty, and grant my plea for mercy. Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary. If you do, I will die there."

New King James Version
Therefore please hear now, O my lord the king. Please, let my petition be accepted before you, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there."

New Living Translation
Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don't send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there."

New Life Bible
But now I ask you to listen, O my lord the king. Hear what I ask, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the writer, or I will die there."

New Revised Standard
Now please hear me, my lord king: be good enough to listen to my plea, and do not send me back to the house of the secretary Jonathan to die there."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now therefore, hear I beseech thee, O my lord the king, - Let my, supplication, I pray thee, fall prostrate before thee, and do not cause me to return unto the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there!

Douay-Rheims Bible
(37-19) Now therefore hear, I beseech thee, my lord the king: let my petition be accepted in thy sight: and send me not back into the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

Revised Standard Version
Now hear, I pray you, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you, and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there."

Young's Literal Translation
And now, hearken, I pray thee, my lord, O king, let my supplication fall, I pray thee, before thee, and cause me not to return [to] the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I die not there.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there."

Contextual Overview

¹¹ The Babylonian army had left because the Egyptian army was on its way to help us. ¹² So I decided to leave Jerusalem and go to the territory of the Benjamin tribe to claim my share of my family's land. ¹³ I was leaving Jerusalem through Benjamin Gate, when I was stopped by Irijah, the officer in charge of the soldiers at the gate. He said, "Jeremiah, you're under arrest for trying to join the Babylonians." ¹⁴ "I'm not trying to join them!" I answered. But Irijah wouldn't listen, and he took me to the king's officials. ¹⁵They were angry and ordered the soldiers to beat me. Then I was taken to the house that belonged to Jonathan, one of the king's officials. It had been turned into a prison, and I was kept in a basement room. After I had spent a long time there, ¹⁷ King Zedekiah secretly had me brought to his palace, where he asked, "Is there any message for us from the Lord ?" "Yes, there is, Your Majesty," I replied. "The Lord is going to let the king of Babylonia capture you." ¹⁸ Then I continued, "Your Majesty, why have you put me in prison? Have I committed a crime against you or your officials or the nation? ¹⁹ Have you locked up the prophets who lied to you and said that the king of Babylonia would never attack Jerusalem? ²⁰ Please, don't send me back to that prison at Jonathan's house. If you do, I will die." ²¹ King Zedekiah had me taken to the prison cells in the courtyard of the palace guards. He told the soldiers to give me a loaf of bread from one of the bakeries every day until the city ran out of grain.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

be accepted before: Heb. fall before, Jeremiah 36:7, *marg.

lest: Jeremiah 26:15, Jeremiah 38:6-9, Acts 23:16-22, Acts 25:10, Acts 25:11, Acts 28:18, Acts 28:19

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 37:15 - in the Jeremiah 38:26 - General Jeremiah 40:8 - Jonathan Jeremiah 42:2 - be accepted before thee Lamentations 3:53 - cut Daniel 9:18 - present

Cross-References

Genesis 37:2
and this is the story of his family. When Jacob's son Joseph was seventeen years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.

Genesis 37:10
When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, "What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down in front of you?"

Genesis 37:11
Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept wondering about the dream.

Genesis 37:12
One day when Joseph's brothers had taken the sheep to a pasture near Shechem,

Genesis 37:16
Joseph answered, "I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?"

Genesis 37:18
But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him.

Genesis 37:29
When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.

Genesis 37:32
After this, they took the coat to their father and said, "We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son."

1 Samuel 24:20
I realize now that you will be the next king, and a powerful king at that.

1 Samuel 26:2
Saul took three thousand of Israel's best soldiers and went to look for David there in Ziph Desert.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore hear now, one pray thee, O my lord the king,.... When the prophet spoke in the name of the Lord, and the words of the Lord, it was with great boldness and majesty; but when he spoke for himself, and on his own behalf, it was with great submission, as it became a subject to his king; and whom he owns as his sovereign lord, though a wicked prince, and whose destruction he knew was at hand:

let my supplication be accepted before thee; or, "fall before thee": see Jeremiah 36:7; which was as follows:

that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe; but that he might be discharged from his confinement; or however be removed into another prison, not so uncomfortable and disagreeable as this man's house or prison was; and which perhaps was still the worse through his cruel and ill natured carriage to him; and which all together endangered his life: wherefore he adds,

lest I die there; for though he had continued there many days, yet the place was so exceedingly noisome, that he thought he could not long continue there, was he remanded back to it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 37:20. Cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan — He had been ill used in this man's custody, so as to endanger his life, the place being cold, and probably unhealthy.