Jeremias 45

1 And Saphanias the son of Nathan, and Godolias the son of Paschor, and Joachal the son of Semelias, heard the words which Jeremias spoke to the people, saying,

2 Thus says the Lord; He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine: but he that goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; and his soul shall be given him for a found treasure, and he shall live.

3 For thus says the Lord; This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the host of the king of Babylon, and they shall take it.

4 And they said to the king, Let that man, we pray you, be slain, for he weakens the hands of the fighting men that are left in the city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them according to these words: for this man does not prophesy peace to this people, but evil.

5 Then the king said, Behold, he is in your hands. For the king could not resist them.

6 And they cast him into the dungeon of Melchias the king's son, which was in the court of the prison; and they let him down into the pit: and there was no water in the pit, but mire: and he was in the mire.

7 And Abdemelech the Ethiopian heard, (now he was in the king's household, ) that they [had] put Jeremias into the dungeon; and the king was in the gate of Benjamin:

8 and he went forth to him, and spoke to the king and said,

9 You have done evil in what you have done to kill this man with hunger: for there is no more bread in the city.

10 And the king commanded Abdemelech, saying, Take with you hence thirty men, and bring him up out of the dungeon, that he die not.

11 So Abdemelech took the men and went into the underground [part of the] king's house, and took thence old rags and old ropes, and threw them to Jeremias into the dungeon.

12 And he said, Put these under the ropes. And Jeremias did so.

13 And they drew him with the ropes, and lifted him out of the dungeon: and Jeremias remained in the court of the prison.

14 Then the king sent, and called him to himself into the house of Aselisel, which was in the house of the Lord: and the king said to him, I will ask you a question, and I pray you hide nothing from me.

15 And Jeremias said to the king, If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you will not at all listen to me.

16 And the king swore to him, saying, [As] the Lord lives who gave us this soul, I will not kill you, neither will I give you into the hands of these men.

17 And Jeremias said to him, Thus says the Lord; If you will indeed go forth to the captains of the king of Babylon, your soul shall live, and this city shall certainly not be burnt with fire; and you shall live, and your house.

18 But if you will not go forth this city shall be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall by no means escape.

19 And the king said to Jeremias, I consider the Jews that have gone over to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hands, and they mock me.

20 And Jeremias said, They shall in no wise deliver you up. Hear the word of the Lord which I speak to you; and it shall be better for you, and your soul shall live.

21 But if you will not go forth, this is the word which the Lord has shown me.

22 And, behold, all the women that are left in the house of the king of Juda were brought forth to the princes of the king of Babylon; and they said, The men who were at peace with you have deceived you, and will prevail against you; and they shall cause your foot to slide and fail, they have turned back from you.

23 And they shall bring forth your wives and your children to the Chaldeans: and you shall by no means escape, for you shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burnt.

24 Then the king said to him, Let no man know [any] of these words, and certainly you shall not die.

25 And if the princes shall hear that I have spoken to you, and they come to you, and say to you, Tell us, what said the king to you? hide [it] not from us, and we will in no wise kill you, and what said the king to you?

26 Then you shall say to them, I brought my supplication before the presence of the king, that he would not send me back into the house of Jonathan, that I should die there.

27 And all the princes came to Jeremias, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words, which the king had commanded him. And they were silent, because the word of the Lord was not heard.

28 And Jeremias remained in the court of the prison, until the time when Jerusalem was taken.