Jeremiah 38:1-18 ▼

1 Then Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying:

2 “Thus says YHWH: He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, and the one going forth to the Chaldeans will live, and his life will be to him for a prey, and he will live.

3 Thus says YHWH: “This city is surely given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

4 And the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for by this he is weakening the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them these words. For this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but only the harm.

5 And the king Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your? hands; for there is not a thing the king can do against you?.

6 And they took Jeremiah and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king that was in the court of the guard. And they sent down Jeremiah with the ropes. And in the cistern there was not water, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

7 And Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—and the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin—

8 and Ebed-melech went forth from the house of the king, and he spoke to the king, saying:

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 cistern; and he is likely to die from hunger in his place, for there is no more bread in the city.

10 And the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: “Take with you from this place thirty men and lift Jeremiah the prophet out the pit before he dies.

11 And Ebed-melech took the men with him, and he went into the house of the king under the treasury, and he took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by cords into the cistern to Jeremiah.

12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah: “Please put worn-out clothes and rags under the joints of your arms, under the cords.” And Jeremiah did so.

13 And they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and they lifted him from the cistern; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

14 And the king Zedekiah sent, and he took Jeremiah the prophet to him at the third entrance of the house of YHWH; and the king said to Jeremiah: “I am going to ask you a thing; do not hide from me a thing.”

15 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I should advise you, you will not listen to me.”

16 And the king Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret, saying, “As YHWH lives, who made for us this soul, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your soul!

17 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: “Thus says YHWH, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you will surely go forth to the princes of the king of Babylon, then your soul will live and this city will not be burned with fire; and you will live—you and your house.

18 And if you do not go forth to the princes of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hands!’”