Jeremiah, Chapter 38

1. Then 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 that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying,    2. Thus says the LORD, He who remains 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; for he shall have his life for a possession, and shall live.    3. Thus says the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.    4. Therefore the princes said to the king, We plead with you, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakens 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 seeks not the welfare of this people, but their hurt.    5. Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he who can do anything against you.    6. Then they took Jeremiah, and put him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sank in the mire.    7. Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs 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. 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 done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have put into the dungeon; and he is likely to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.    10. Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with you, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies.    11. So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old rags and old decayed clothes, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.    12. And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now these old rags and decayed clothes under your armpits under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.    13. So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.    14. Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me.    15. Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I tell it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, will you fail to listen to me?    16. So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD lives, that made for us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men that seek your life.    17. Then said Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If you will assuredly go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house:    18. But if you will 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 you shall not escape out of their hand.    19. And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.    20. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I plead with you, the voice of the LORD, which I speak to you: so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.    21. But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:    22. And, behold, 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, Your friends have urged you on, and have prevailed against you: your feet are sunk in the mire, and they have turned away back.    23. So they shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans: and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.    24. Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.    25. But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and say to you, Tell us now what you have said to the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said to you:    26. Then you 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 came all the princes 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. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.