1. Zedekiah son of Josiah reigned as king in the land of Judah in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made him king.
2. He and his officers and the people of the land did not obey the words of the Lord that He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.
3. Nevertheless, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, requesting, “Please pray to the Lord our God for us! ”
4. Jeremiah was going about his daily tasks among the people, for they had not yet put him into the prison.