1 N ow 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 was speaking to all the people, saying,

Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,

2 “ Thus says the Lord, ‘He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own life as booty and stay alive.’

Thus says the Lord: He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life as his only booty, and he shall live.

3 T hus says the Lord, ‘This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’”

Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.

4 T hen the officials said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm.”

Therefore the princes said to the king, We beseech you, let this man be put to death; for thus he weakens the hands of the soldiers who remain in this city and the hands of all the people by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of these people, but harm.

5 S o King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.”

Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hands; for the king is in no position to do anything against you.

6 T hen they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon or cistern pit of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon or cistern pit there was no water, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

7 B ut Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, while he was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin;

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 or cistern pit; and while the king was then sitting in the Gate of Benjamin,

8 a nd Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying,

Ebed-melech went out of the king’s house 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 cast into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the 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 or cistern pit; and he is liable to die of hunger and is dead in the place where he is, for there is no more bread left in the city.

10 T hen the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here under your authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.”

Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with you and raise Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon or cistern pit before he dies.

11 S o Ebed-melech took the men under his 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.

So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took along from there old rags and worn-out garments and let them down by ropes into the dungeon or cistern pit to Jeremiah.

12 T hen 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.

And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now these old rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the ropes. And Jeremiah did so.

13 S o they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse.

So they drew up Jeremiah with the ropes and took him up out of the dungeon or cistern pit; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

14 T hen King Zedekiah sent and 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 ask you something; do not hide anything from me.”

Then Zedekiah the king sent and brought Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, I am going to ask you something; hide nothing from me.

15 T hen Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “ If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.

16 B ut King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret saying, “As the Lord lives, who made this life for us, surely I will not put you to death nor will I give you over to the hand of these men who are seeking your life.” Interview with Zedekiah

So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, As the Lord lives, Who made our lives, I will not put you to death or give you into the hands of these men who seek your life.

17 T hen Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive.

Then said Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will go forth and surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, then you will live and this city will not be burned with fire; and you will live—you and your house.

18 B ut if you will not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given over to the hand of the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and you yourself will not escape from their hand.’”

But if you will not go forth and surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hands of the Chaldeans and they will burn it with fire; and you will not escape out of their hands.

19 T hen King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I dread the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will abuse me.”

And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest the enemy deliver me into their hands and they mock me and abuse me.

20 B ut Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, that it may go well with you and you may live.

But Jeremiah said, They will not deliver you. Obey, I beg of you, the voice of the Lord, Who speaks to you through me. Then it will be well with you, and you will live.

21 B ut if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word which the Lord has shown me:

But if you refuse to go forth and surrender to them, this is the word that the Lord has shown me:

22 ‘ Then behold, all of the women 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, “ Your close friends Have misled and overpowered you; While your feet were sunk in the mire, They turned back.”

Behold, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes and will say, Your friends have prevailed against your better judgment and have deceived you. Now when your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned their backs.

23 T hey will also bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.’”

All your wives and your children will be brought out to the Chaldeans; and you will not escape out of their hands, but you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and you will cause this city to be burned with fire.

24 T hen Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know of this conversation and you will not die.

25 B ut if the officials 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,’

But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say, Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; hide it not from us and we will not put you to death,

26 t hen you are to say to them, ‘I was presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

Then you shall say to them, I was presenting to the king my humble plea that he would not send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.

27 T hen 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 ceased speaking with him, since the conversation had not been overheard.

Then came all the princes to Jeremiah and asked him, and he told them all that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him, for what the conversation had been was not discovered.

28 S o Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured.

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