Jeremiah 37:2
But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
The verse belongs to the historical account of the two years before Jerusalem fell. The book is not placed in chronological sequence, for in chronological order of events during Zedekiah's reign chapter 37 belongs after chapter 34 and before chapters 32, 33, and 38. It belongs to the Sabbath reading with Jeremiah 34 and to the chronological story of Jeremiah's experiences in Judah, coming after Jeremiah 34 and before Jeremiah 32, 33, and 38. It means that Zedekiah, his officials and servants, and the people of Judah and of the land refused to obey and heed the Lord's words spoken through Jeremiah.
The refusal occurred in connection with Zedekiah's rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar and the Egyptian effort to help him. It reflected continued wickedness and reliance on Egypt instead of humbling themselves before God. That refusal led to the warning that the Chaldeans would return and destroy Jerusalem. The refusal continued in Zedekiah's later choice to reject the prophet's counsel because he feared the people.
The rejection was one of the nation's sins. It was part of the sad record of Judah — false prophets, utter repudiation of the law of God and the principles of righteousness, and persecutions of Jeremiah himself — which caused Jeremiah's weeping and is preserved to show the awful enormity of sin and its sure consequences. The verse is linked to Jeremiah being punished as a traitor, showing that proclaiming God's message could bring accusations and punishment when it disturbed people.