In between the Babylonian invasions, the Egyptian army came north, forcing the Babylonians to withdraw from Jerusalem. Meanwhile, good ole Jeremiah predicted that the Babylonians would return, which they did.
King Zedekiah was a bad king, but did ask for Jeremiah to pray for the city during the siege.
Later on, Jeremiah leaves Jerusalem to collect his property from the area of the Benjamites. He is accused of defecting to the Babylonians, beaten up, and imprisoned. Eventually, King Zedekiah summons for Jeremiah to get a private prophecy about the Babylonian invasion. Jeremiah's prophecy is not good for the king, as he predicts the king will be taken off to Babylon. Jeremiah then asks to be released from prison and Zedekiah puts him in the courtyard of the guard and given a ration of bread. It is not clear if this was a form of house arrest or for Jeremiah's protection.
Likewise, it is interesting that King Zedekiah does not act more promptly to release Jeremiah from prison. It may have been the case that King Zedekiah privately believed in Jeremiah, but the people still had their doubts. Given that his own political situation was precarious, he may have felt it was too risky to publicly support Jeremiah.
Regardless, it's just another chapter in the weird hot/cold relationship between prophets of God and kings of Israel and Judah.
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