Jeremiah 38

1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone:

Then Shephatiah the sonne of Mattan, and Gedaliah the sonne of Pashur, and Iucal the sonne of Shelemiah, and Pashur the sonne of Malchiah, heard the wordes that Ieremiah had spoken vnto all the people, saying,

2 This is what the Lord says: Anyone who remains in this city will die from war and famine and disease, but anyone who goes over to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be to save their lives.

Thus sayth the Lord, He that remaineth in this citie, shall dye by the sworde, by the famine and by the pestilence: but hee that goeth foorth to the Caldeans, shall liue: for he shall haue his life for a praye, and shall liue.

3 This is what the Lord says: Be sure of this—Jerusalem will be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. He is going to capture it.

Thus sayth the Lord, This citie shall surely be giuen into the hand of the King of Babels armie, which shall take it.

4 The officers told the king, “This man deserves to die because he's demoralizing the defenders left in the city, and all the people too, by telling them this. This man isn't trying to help these people, he's only going to destroy them.”

Therefore the Princes sayd vnto the King, We beseech you, let this man be put to death: for thus hee weakeneth the hands of the men of warre that remaine in this citie, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such wordes vnto them: for this man seeketh not the wealth of this people, but the hurt.

5 “Well, you can do whatever you want to him,” King Zedekiah replied. “I can't stop you.”

Then Zedekiah the King sayd, Behold, he is in your hands, for ye King can denie you nothing.

6 So they took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern belonging to Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the guard's courtyard. They lowered Jeremiah down with ropes into the cistern. It didn't have any water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Then tooke they Ieremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the sonne of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let downe Ieremiah with coards: and in the dungeon there was no water but myre: so Ieremiah stacke fast in the myre.

7 Ebed-melech the Cushite, a royal official in the king's palace, found out that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. The king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,

Now when Ebed-melech ye blacke More one of ye Eunuches, which was in the kings house, heard that they had put Ieremiah in the dungeon (then the King sate in the gate of Beniamin)

8 so Ebed-melech left the palace and went to talk to the king

And Ebed-melech went out of the Kings house, and spake to the King, saying,

9 “My lord the king, all these terrible things these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet are evil. They've put him in the cistern, and he'll starve to death there because there's no more bread left in the city.”

My lorde the King, these men haue done euill in all that they haue done to Ieremiah the Prophet, whom they haue cast into the dungeon, and he dyeth for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the citie.

10 So the king gave the order to Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men with you and go and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

Then the King commanded Ebed-melech the blacke More, saying, Take from hence thirtie men with thee, and take Ieremiah the Prophet out of the dungeon before he dye.

11 Ebed-melech took the men and went to the storehouse under the palace. He took some rags and old clothes from there and then went to the cistern where he lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah.

So Ebed-melech tooke the men with him and went to the house of the King vnder the treasurie, and tooke there olde rotten ragges, and olde worne cloutes, and let them downe by coards into the dungeon to Ieremiah.

12 Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and old clothes under your arms to protect you from the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,

And Ebed-melech the blacke More sayde vnto Ieremiah, Put now these olde rotten ragges and worne, vnder thine arme holes, betweene the coards. And Ieremiah did so.

13 and using the ropes they pulled him up and took him out of the cistern. Jeremiah stayed there in the guard's courtyard.

So they drewe vp Ieremiah with coards and tooke him vp out of the dungeon, and Ieremiah remained in the court of the prison.

14 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third Temple entrance. “I need to ask you something,” the king told Jeremiah. “You mustn't hide anything from me.”

Then Zedekiah the King sent, and tooke Ieremiah the Prophet vnto him, into the thirde entrie that is in the House of the Lord, and the King sayd vnto Ieremiah, I wil aske thee a thing: hide nothing from me.

15 “If I tell you then you'll definitely have me killed,” Jeremiah replied. “Even if I were to give you advice, you wouldn't listen to me anyway.”

Then Ieremiah sayd to Zedekiah, If I declare it vnto thee, wilt not thou slay me? and if I giue thee counsell, thou wilt not heare me.

16 King Zedekiah solemnly promised Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who gave us this life, I won't have you killed, and I won't hand you over to those who want to kill you.”

So the King sware secretly vnto Ieremiah, saying, As the Lord liueth that made vs these soules, I will not slay thee, nor giue thee into the hands of those men that seeke thy life.

17 Then Jeremiah told Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you'll live. Jerusalem won't be burned down, and you and your family will survive.

Then sayd Ieremiah vnto Zedekiah, Thus sayth the Lord God of hostes, the God of Israel, If thou wilt goe foorth vnto the King of Babels princes, then thy soule shall liue, and this citie shall not be burnt vp with fire, and thou shalt liue, and thine house.

18 But if you don't hand yourself over to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you yourself won't escape being captured.”

But if thou wilt not go forth to the King of Babels princes, then shall this citie be giuen into the hand of ye Caldeans, and they shall burne it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hands.

19 But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the those people of Judah who have gone over to the Babylonians, because the Babylonians might hand me over the them so they could abuse me.”

And Zedekiah the King sayde vnto Ieremiah, I am carefull for the Iewes that are fled vnto the Caldeans, least they deliuer mee into their hands, and they mocke me.

20 “They won't hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “If you obey what the Lord says by doing what I tell you, then things will go well for you and you'll live.

But Ieremiah sayd, They shall not deliuer thee: hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord, I beseech thee, which I speake vnto thee: so shall it be well vnto thee, and thy soule shall liue.

21 But if you refuse to hand yourself over, this is what the Lord has told me:

But if thou wilt refuse to go forth, this is the worde that the Lord hath shewed me.

22 All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be led out and handed over to the officials of the king of Babylon Those women will say: ‘Those good friends of yours! You were taken in by them and conquered by them. Your feet got stuck in the mid, so they abandoned you.’

And beholde, all the women that are left in the King of Iudahs house, shalbe brought forth to the King of Babels princes: and those women shall say, Thy friends haue perswaded thee, and haue preuailed against thee: thy feete are fastened in the myre, and they are turned backe.

23 All your wives and children will be handed over to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape, for you will be captured by the king of Babylon, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”

So they shall bring out all thy wiues, and thy children to the Caldeans, and thou shalt not escape out of their hands, but shalt be taken by the hand of the King of Babel: and this citie shalt thou cause to be burnt with fire.

24 Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Nobody can find out about this conversation, otherwise you'll die.

Then said Zedekiah vnto Ieremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

25 If the officers find out that I've talked with you, and they come and ask you, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about! Don't hide anything from us, or we'll kill you;’

But if ye princes vnderstand that I haue talked with thee, and they come vnto thee, and say vnto thee, Declare vnto vs nowe, what thou hast sayde vnto the King, hide it not from vs, and we will not slay thee: also what the King sayd vnto thee,

26 then you are to tell them, ‘I was asking the king to grant my request not to return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

Then shalt thou say vnto them, I humbly besought the King that he would not cause me to returne to Iehonathans house, to die there.

27 When all the officers came to Jeremiah wanting to know, he repeated to them exactly what the king had told him to say. So they didn't ask him anything more because no one had heard what had been said.

Then came all the princes vnto Ieremiah and asked him. And he tolde them according to all these wordes that the King had commanded: so they left off speaking with him, for the matter was not perceiued.

28 Jeremiah remained there in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

So Ieremiah abode still in the court of the prison, vntill the day that Ierusalem was taken: and he was there, when Ierusalem was taken.