Jeremiah 38

1 And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

2 Thus says Jehovah: He who abides in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live.

3 Thus says Jehovah: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.

4 Then the rulers said to the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death, inasmuch as he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them. For this man seeks not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

5 And Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand, for the king is not he who can do anything against you.

6 Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard. And they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin),

8 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying,

9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the dungeon. And he is likely to die in the place where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.

11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Now put these rags and worn-out garments under thine armpits under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

13 So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of Jehovah. And the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to thee, will thou not surely put me to death? And if I give thee counsel, thou will not hearken to me.

16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, As Jehovah lives, who made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, nor will I give thee into the hand of these men who seek thy life.

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, Thus says Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. If thou will go forth to the king of Babylon's rulers, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and thou shall live, and thy house.

18 But if thou will not go forth to the king of Babylon's rulers, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shall not escape out of their hand.

19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.

20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of Jehovah, in that which I speak to thee, so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live.

21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that Jehovah has shown me:

22 Behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's rulers. And those women shall say, Thy familiar friends have set upon thee, and have prevailed over thee. Since thy feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned back away.

23 And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy sons to the Chaldeans. And thou shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And thou shall cause this city to be burned with fire.

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shall not die.

25 But if the rulers hear that I have talked with thee, and they come to thee, and say to thee, Declare to us now what thou have said to the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death, also what the king said to thee,

26 then thou shall say to them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house to die there.

27 Then all the rulers came to Jeremiah, and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.

28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.