Jeremiah 38

1 And Shephatiah, the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah, the son of Pashur, and Jucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur, the son of Malchiah, heard the words which Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:

2 “Thus saith Jehovah: He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldaeans shall live, and he shall retain his life as a prey, and shall live.

“This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.

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

This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

4 Then said the princes to the king, “We beseech thee, let this man be put to death! for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them; for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but their hurt.”

Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not one that can do anything in opposition to you.”

“Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”

6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah, the son of Hammelech, which was in the court of the prison; and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but only mire; and Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

7 And Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was then in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the dungeon; and the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin.

Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,

8 Then Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,

Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king,

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; for he was already almost dead in his place for hunger; for there is no more bread in the city.”

“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”

10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, saying, “Take along with thee thirty men from hence, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.”

So the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

11 And Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the king's house under the store-room, and took from thence torn rags and worn-out rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

Then Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.

12 And Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, said to Jeremiah, put now these torn and worn-out rags under thy knuckles under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, “Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,

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

and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

14 And King Zedekiah sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entrance, which is in the house of Jehovah; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask thee a question; hide nothing from me!”

Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” said the king to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”

15 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “When I have told thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken to me.”

“If I tell you,” Jeremiah replied, “you will surely put me to death. And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16 Then King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret, saying, “As Jehovah liveth, who made for us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.”

But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of these men who are seeking your life.”

17 Then said Jeremiah to Zedekiah, “Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth to the chieftains of the king of Babylon, then shalt thou live; and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, thou and thine house.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.

18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the chieftains of the king of Babylon, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldaeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.”

But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”

19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldaeans, lest I should be delivered into their hand, and they should mock me.”

But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for the Chaldeans may deliver me into their hands to abuse me.”

20 And Jeremiah said, “Thou shalt not be delivered up to them. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of Jehovah in what I speak to thee; so shall it be well with thee, and thou shalt live.

“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am telling you, that it may go well with you and you may live.

21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is what Jehovah hath revealed to me.

But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:

22 Behold, all the women that are left in the house of the king of Judah shall be brought forth to the chieftains of the king of Babylon, and shall say, 'Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee; thy feet are sunk in the mire; they go backward.'

All the women who remain in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon, and those women will say: ‘They misled you and overcame you— those trusted friends of yours. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.’

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

All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”

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

Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

25 But if the princes shall hear that I have talked with thee, and shall come to thee, and say to thee, 'Tell us, we pray thee, what thou hast said to the king; hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; and what the king hath said to thee';

If the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,’

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

then tell them, ‘I was presenting to the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

27 Then came all the princes to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all those words which the king had commanded. And they said no more to him, for the matter was not known.

When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he relayed to them the exact words the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had overheard the conversation.

28 And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison to the day when Jerusalem was taken.

And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.