The Book of Jeremiah
38: 1And 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 spake unto all the people, saying, 38:2Thus saith Jehovah, He that
abideth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence;
but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be unto him
for a prey, and he shall live. 38:3Thus saith Jehovah, This city shall surely be given
into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 38:4Then the
princes said unto the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put to death; forasmuch
as 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 unto them: for this man seeketh
not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. 38:5And Zedekiah the king said, Behold,
he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do anything against you. 38:6Then
took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son,
that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in
the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire. 38:7Now
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,) 38:8Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the
king, saying, 38:9My 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
like to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more
bread in the city. 38:10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian,
saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet
out of the dungeon, before he die. 38:11So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and
went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence rags and
worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
38:12And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these rags and
worn-out garments under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
38:13So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon:
and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. 38:14Then Zedekiah the king sent,
and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of
Jehovah: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing
from me. 38:15Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou
not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken unto
me. 38:16So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As Jehovah
liveth, that made 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. 38:17Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah,
Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If thou wilt go forth unto
the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be
burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thy house. 38:18But if thou wilt not go
forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand
of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of
their hand. 38:19And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews
that are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and
they mock me. 38:20But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech
thee, the voice of Jehovah, in that which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well with
thee, and thy soul shall live. 38:21But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that
Jehovah hath showed me: 38:22behold, all the women that are left in the king of
Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those
women shall say, Thy familiar friends have set thee on, and have prevailed over
thee: now that thy feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back. 38:23And
they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt
not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of
Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. 38:24Then said
Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
38:25But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee,
and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king; hide it
not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
38:26then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that
he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there. 38:27Then came all
the princes unto 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. 38:28So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the
day that Jerusalem was taken.