 1 Shephatiah the son of Mattan and Gedaliah the son of Pashur and Jehucal 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: Those who remain in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague. But those who go out to the Chaldeans will live. For he will have his life as a prize and will live. 3 Thus says the Lord: This city will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army and he will capture it. 4 The rulers said to the king, Please let this man be put to death. For in this way he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city and the hands of all the people by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the good of this people, but the hurt. 5 Then King Zedekiah said, Behold, he is in your hand. For the king cannot do a thing against you. 6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the pit of Malchiah the son of Hammelech that was in the court of the prison. They let Jeremiah down with ropes. There was no water in the pit, only mud. So Jeremiah sank into the mud. 7 Ebedmelech the Ethiopian of the eunuchs in the king's house heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit, the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebedmelech left 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 thrown into the pit. He is likely to die of hunger where he is for there is no more bread in the city. 10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian saying, Take 30 men with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet up out of the pit before he dies. 11 So Ebedmelech took the men and went into the house of the king under the treasury and took worn out clothes and worn out rags from there and let them down by ropes into the pit to Jeremiah. 12 Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Now put the worn out clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes. Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and took him up out of the pit and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. 14 Then King Zedekiah sent for the Prophet Jeremiah and took him in third entrance into the house of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, I will ask you something. Do not hide anything from me. 15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? If I give you advice, you will not listen to me. 16 King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah saying, As the Lord lives who made us this soul, I will not put you to death nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life. 17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surely go forth to the king of Babylon's rulers, then your soul will live and this city will not be burned with fire and you and your house will live. 18 But if you will not go forth to the king of Babylon's rulers, then this city will be given into the hands of the Chaldeans and they will burn it with fire and you will not escape. 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen to the Chaldeans lest they deliver me to them and hurt me. 20 But Jeremiah said, They will not deliver you. I beg you. Obey the voice of the Lord that I speak to you so it will be well to you and your soul will live. 21 But if you refuse to go, this is the Word that the Lord has shown to me: 22 All the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought out to the king of Babylon's rulers and they will say your friends have urged you on and have prevailed against you. Your feet have sunk in the mire and they have turned away. 23 So they will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans and you will not escape but will be taken by the king of Babylon and you will cause this city to be burned with fire. 24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no one know of these words and you will not die. 25 But if the rulers hear that I have talked with you and they come to you and say to you, Declare to us now what you have said to the king. Do not hide it 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 cry before the king so that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there. 27 Then all the rulers came to Jeremiah and asked him. He told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they quit speaking with him for the matter was not known. 28 So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was captured and he was there when Jerusalem was captured.
|