< Jeremiah 38 >
1 And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying,
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,
2 'Thus said Jehovah: He who is remaining in this city dieth, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans liveth, and his soul hath been to him for a prey, and he liveth.
“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.
3 Thus said Jehovah: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he hath captured it.'
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.”
4 And the heads say unto the king, 'Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.'
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.”
5 And the king Zedekiah saith, 'Lo, he [is] in your hand: for the king is not able for you [in] anything.'
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.”
6 And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that [is] in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire.
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.
7 And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who [is] in the king's house, heareth that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin,
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.
8 and Ebed-Melech goeth forth from the king's house, and speaketh unto the king, saying,
Then Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,
9 'My lord, O king, these men have done evil [in] all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dieth in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.'
“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.”
10 And the king commandeth Ebed-Melech the Cushite, saying, 'Take with thee from this thirty men, and thou hast brought up Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dieth.'
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.”
11 And Ebed-Melech taketh the men with him, and entereth the house of the king, unto the place of the treasury, and taketh thence worn-out clouts, and worn-out rags, and sendeth them unto Jeremiah unto the pit by cords.
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.
12 And Ebed-Melech the Cushite saith unto Jeremiah, 'Put, I pray thee, the worn-out clouts and rags under thine arm-holes, at the place of the cords,' and Jeremiah doth so,
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.
13 and they draw out Jeremiah with cords, and bring him up out of the pit, and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison.
And they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14 And the king Zedekiah sendeth, and taketh Jeremiah the prophet unto him, unto the third entrance that [is] in the house of Jehovah, and the king saith unto Jeremiah, 'I am asking thee a thing, do not hide from me anything.'
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!”
15 And Jeremiah saith unto Zedekiah, 'When I declare to thee, dost thou not surely put me to death? and when I counsel thee, thou dost not hearken unto me.'
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.”
16 And the king Zedekiah sweareth unto Jeremiah in secret, saying, 'Jehovah liveth, He who made for us this soul, I do not put thee to death, nor give thee unto the hand of these men who are seeking thy soul.'
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.”
17 And Jeremiah saith unto Zedekiah, 'Thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel: If thou dost certainly go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath thy soul lived, and this city is not burned with fire, yea, thou hast lived, thou and thy house.
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.
18 And if thou dost not go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then hath this city been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they have burnt it with fire, and thou dost not escape from their hand.'
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.”
19 And the king Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, 'I am fearing the Jews who have fallen unto the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they have insulted me.'
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.”
20 And Jeremiah saith, 'They do not give thee up; hearken, I pray thee, to the voice of Jehovah, to that which I am speaking unto thee, and it is well for thee, and thy soul doth live.
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.
21 'And if thou art refusing to go forth, this [is] the thing that Jehovah hath shewn me:
But if thou refuse to go forth, this is what Jehovah hath revealed to me.
22 That, lo, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah are brought forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, and lo, they are saying: Persuaded thee, and prevailed against thee, Have thine allies, Sunk into mire have thy feet, They have been turned backward.
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.'
23 'And all thy wives, and thy sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and thou dost not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon thou art caught, and this city is burnt with fire.'
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.”
24 And Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, 'Let no man know of these words, and thou dost not die;
Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
25 and when the heads hear that I have spoken with thee, and they have come in unto thee, and have said unto thee, Declare to us, we pray thee, what thou didst speak unto the king, do not hide [it] from us, and we do not put thee to death, and what the king spake unto thee,
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';
26 then thou hast said unto them, I am causing my supplication to fall before the king, not to cause me to return to the house of Jonathan, to die there.'
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.'”
27 And all the heads come in unto Jeremiah, and ask him, and he declareth to them according to all these words that the king commanded, and they keep silent from him, for the matter was not heard;
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.
28 and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison till the day that Jerusalem hath been captured, and he was [there] when Jerusalem was captured.
And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison to the day when Jerusalem was taken.