Jeremiah 38
Jeremiah Thrown into the Cistern
1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the ason of Shelemiah, and bPashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying, 2“This is what the Lord says: ‘Anyone who cstays in this city will die by the dsword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who surrenders to the Chaldeans will live and have his own elife as plunder, and stay alive.’ 3This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be fhanded over to the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’” 4Then the gofficials said to the king, “Please have this man put to death, since he is ▼▼Lit making slack the hands of
idiscouraging the men of war who are left in this city and ▼▼Lit the hands of all
all the people, by speaking words like these to them; for this man kis not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm.” 5And King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your ▼▼Lit hand
hands; for the king mcan do nothing against you.” 6So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the ncistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only omud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. 7But pEbed-melech the Ethiopian, a ▼▼Or high official
reunuch, while he was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. Now the king was sitting at the sGate of Benjamin; 8and Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying, 9“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have thrown into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is tno more bread in the city.” 10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here ▼▼Lit in your hand
under your authority and bring Jeremiah the prophet up from the cistern before he dies.” 11So Ebed-melech took the men under his ▼▼Lit hand
authority and went into the king’s palace to a place beneath the storeroom, and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags, and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah. 12Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes”; and Jeremiah did so. 13So they pulled Jeremiah out with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the wcourtyard of the guardhouse. Zedekiah Seeks an Answer from God
14 Then King Zedekiah xsent word and ▼▼Lit took Jeremiah the prophet to him
had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to zask you something; do not hide anything from me.” 15And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “ aaIf I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in absecret, saying, “As the Lord lives, who made this ▼▼Lit soul
adlife for us, I certainly will not put you to death, nor will I hand you over to aethese men who are seeking your ▼▼Lit soul
life.” 17 So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord agGod of armies, the ahGod of Israel says: ‘If you will indeed aisurrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then ▼▼Lit your soul
you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will ▼▼Lit live
survive. 18But if you do alnot surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city amwill be handed over to the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and anyou yourself will not escape from their hands.’” 19Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am aoin fear of the Jews who have apdeserted to the Chaldeans, for they may hand me over to them, and they will aqabuse me.” 20But Jeremiah said, “They will not turn you over. Please ▼▼Lit listen to the voice of
asobey the Lord in what I am saying to you, so that it may go atwell for you and ▼▼Lit your soul
avyou may live. 21But if you keep refusing to surrender, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: 22‘Behold, all of the awwomen who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say, “ ▼
▼Lit The men of your peace
Your close friends Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.” 23 They are also going to bring out all your wives and your aysons to the Chaldeans, and azyou yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and bathis city will be burned with fire.’” 24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know about these words, and you will not die. 25But if the bbofficials hear that I have talked with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us now what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26then you are to say to them, ‘I was bcpresenting my plea before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. So he reported to them in accordance with all these words which the king had commanded; and they stopped speaking with him, since the ▼
▼Lit word
conversation had not been overheard. 28So Jeremiah bestayed in the courtyard of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured.
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