Jeremiah 38

1 Then Shephatiah, the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah, the son of Pashhur, and Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying:

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 the Lord: Whoever will remain in this city will die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever will flee away from the Chaldeans, will live, and his soul will dwell in safety.

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 the Lord: This city will certainly be delivered into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

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 And the leaders said to the king: “We petition you to put this man to death. For he is deliberately weakening the hands of the men of war, who have remained in this city, and the hands of the people, by speaking to them with these words. For this man is certainly not seeking peace for this people, but evil.”

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 king Zedekiah said: “Behold, he is in your hands. For it is not fitting for the king to deny you anything.”

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

6 Therefore, they took Jeremiah and cast him into the pit of Malchiah, the son of Amelech, which was at the entrance to the prison. And they lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the pit, in which there was no water, but only mud. And so Jeremiah descended into the mire.

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 Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had sent Jeremiah into the pit, and also that the king was sitting at the gate of Benjamin.

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 And so Ebedmelech departed from the king’s house, and he spoke to the king, saying:

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 perpetrated against Jeremiah the prophet, casting him into the pit so that he would die there from 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. 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 And so the king instructed Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, saying: “Take with you thirty men from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dies.”

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 Therefore, Ebedmelech, taking the men with him, entered into the king’s house to a place below the storehouse. And he took from there old garments, no longer in use, and he sent them down by rope to Jeremiah in the pit.

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 Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, said to Jeremiah: “Place these old garments, and these cut and decaying cloths, under your arms and over the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so.

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 And they pulled up Jeremiah with the ropes, and they led him away from the pit. And Jeremiah remained in the vestibule of the prison.

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 And king Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to him at the third gate, which was at the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah: “I will question you about a matter. You shall conceal nothing from me.”

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 announce to you, will you not put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”

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 Then king Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah, secretly, saying: “As the Lord lives, who made this soul for us, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of those men who are seeking your life.”

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 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If, having set out, you go to the rulers of the king of Babylon, your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire. And you and your house will be safe.

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 you will not go to the rulers of the king of Babylon, this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire. And you will not escape from their hand.”

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 king Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: “I am anxious, because of the Jews who have crossed over to the Chaldeans, lest perhaps I may be delivered into their hands, and they may abuse me.”

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 responded: “They will not deliver you. Listen, I ask you, to the voice of the Lord, which I am speaking to you, and it will be well with you, and your soul will live.

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 you refuse to depart, this is the word that the Lord has revealed to me:

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

22 Behold, all the women who remain in the house of the king of Judah will be led away to the rulers of the king of Babylon. And the women will say: ‘Your men of peacefulness have led you astray, and they have prevailed against you. They have immersed your feet in mud and have set them in a slippery place. And they have withdrawn from you.’

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 all your wives and your sons will be led away to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from their hands. Instead, you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon. And he will burn this city with fire.”

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 one know of these words, and you will not die.

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

25 But if the leaders hear that I have spoken with you, and if they come to you, and say to you: ‘Tell us what you said to the king. Do not conceal it from us, and we will not put you to death. And tell us what the king said to you,’

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 you shall say to them: ‘I presented my supplication before the king, so that he would not order me to be led back to the house of Jonathan, to die there.’”

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 leaders came to Jeremiah, and they questioned him. And he spoke to them in accord with all the words that the king had commanded him. And they withdrew from him, for they had learned nothing.

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 Yet truly, Jeremiah remained at the entrance of the prison, until the day when Jerusalem was seized. And it happened that Jerusalem was captured.

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