1 N ow Shaphatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard Jeremiah telling all the people,

¶ 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 unto all the people, saying,

2 “ The Lord says, ‘He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by hunger and by disease. But he who goes over to the Babylonians will live. He will get away with his life and live.’

Thus hath the LORD said, He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he that goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey and shall live.

3 T he Lord says, ‘For sure this city will be given to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’”

Thus hath the LORD said, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.

4 T hen the leaders said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death. For he is making the hearts of the men of war weak who are left in this city, and of all the people, by saying such words to them. This man does not care about the well-being of these people, but instead wants them hurt.”

Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, 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 unto them; for this man does not seek the peace of this people, but the hurt.

5 S o King Zedekiah said, “He is in your hands. The king can do nothing against you.”

Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand, for the king can not do any thing against you.

6 S o they took Jeremiah and put him into the well of Malchijah the king’s son, in the open space of the prison, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, but only mud. And Jeremiah went down into the mud.

Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, 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; so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

7 B ut Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian servant of the king who had been made so he could not have children, heard in the king’s house that they had put Jeremiah into the well. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin.

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king was then sitting in the gate of Benjamin,

8 A nd Ebedmelech went from the king’s house and said to him,

Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying,

9 “ My lord the king, these men have been very sinful in all they have done to Jeremiah the man of God. They have put him in the well. And he will die there of hunger, 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; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the city.

10 T hen the king told Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “I am giving you the power to take thirty men with you, and bring Jeremiah the man of God up from the well before he dies.”

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with thee and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.

11 S o Ebed-melech as the leader took the men with him and went into the king’s house to a place under the store-room. He took from there old pieces of cloth and worn-out clothes and let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the well.

So Ebedmelech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury and took from there old cast clouts and old rotten rags and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

12 T hen Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the clothes and pieces of cloth between your arms and the ropes,” and Jeremiah did so.

And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

13 T hen they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the well. And Jeremiah stayed in the open space of the prison. Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah about Future Happenings

So they drew up Jeremiah with cords and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

14 K ing Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the man of God and had him brought to him at the third door of the house of the Lord. And the king said to him, “I am going to ask you something. Do not hide anything from me.”

¶ Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a word; hide nothing from me.

15 J eremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not kill me? Even if I speak wise words to you, you will not listen to me.”

Then 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.

16 B ut King Zedekiah promised Jeremiah in secret, “As the Lord lives, Who gave us life, for sure I will not kill you or give you over to these men who want to kill you.”

So Zedekiah the king swore secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD lives, 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.

17 T hen Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will go out to the captains of the king of Babylon, then you will live. This city will not be burned with fire, and you and those of your house will live.

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus hath the LORD, the God of the hosts, the God of Israel said: If thou wilt assuredly 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 thine house:

18 B ut if you will not go out to the captains of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it with fire, and you will not get away from them.’”

but if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

19 K ing Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians. I am afraid I will be given over to them, and that they will make it hard for me.”

And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

20 B ut Jeremiah said, “They will not give you to them. Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you and you will live.

But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Hear now the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.

21 B ut if you will not go out, this is the word which the Lord has shown me:

But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath showed me:

22 ‘ All of the women left in the house of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the captains of the king of Babylon. And these women will say, “Your trusted friends have lied to you and have become stronger than you. Now when your feet have gone down into the mud, they turn away from you.”

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, Thy friends have deceived thee and have prevailed against thee; thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

23 A ll your wives and your sons will be led out to the Babylonians. And you yourself will not get away from them. The king of Babylon will take hold of you, and this city will be burned with fire.’”

So 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.

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

Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

25 T he leaders might hear that I have talked with you, and come and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king, and what the king said to you. Do not hide it from us, and we will not kill you.’

But 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:

26 T hen you must tell them, ‘I was asking the king not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

then 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.

27 A ll the leaders did come to Jeremiah to ask him questions. So he said to them everything the king had told him to say. And they stopped speaking with him, because the words he and the king had spoken together had not been heard by anyone else.

Then all the princes came unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all those words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

28 S o Jeremiah stayed in the open space of the prison until the day Jerusalem was taken.

So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken; and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.