<p class="bodytext">Now at that time,<n id="1" /> the armies of the king of Babylon were besieging Jerusalem.<n id="2" /> The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse<n id="3" /> attached to the royal palace of Judah.

For King Zedekiah<n id="1" /> had confined Jeremiah there after he had reproved him for prophesying as he did. He had asked Jeremiah, &#8220;Why do you keep prophesying these things? Why do you keep saying that the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon? I will let him capture it.<n id="2" />