Old Testament · Jeremiah

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern

1And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying: 2Thus said the LORD: He who dwells in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live, and his soul^a shall be to him for spoil, and he shall live. 3Thus said the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it.

4And the princes said to the king: Let this man^b be put to death, please; for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them according to these words; for this man does not seek peace for this people, but evil.

5And the king Zedekiah said: Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not able to do against you a thing.

6And they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah the son of the king, which was in the court of the guard, and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the cistern there was no water but mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

7And Ebed-melech the Cushite, a man, a eunuch, heard—and he was in the house of the king—that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern; and the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin. 8And Ebed-melech went out from the house of the king, and spoke to the king, saying: 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 cistern; and he will die in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.

10And the king commanded^c Ebed-melech the Cushite, saying: Take in your hand from here thirty men, and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.

11And Ebed-melech took the men in his hand, and went into the house of the king, to under the treasury, and took from there worn-out rags and worn-out clothes, and let them down to Jeremiah into the cistern by the cords.

12And Ebed-melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah: Put now the worn-out rags and the clothes under your armpits, under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13And they drew Jeremiah up with the cords, and brought him up from the cistern; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

14And the king Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to him, to the third entrance that was in the house of the LORD; and the king said to Jeremiah: I am asking you a thing; do not hide from me a thing.

15And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I counsel you, you will not listen to me.

16And the king Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah secretly, saying: As the LORD lives^d, who made for us this soul, I will not put you to death, and I will not give you into the hand of these men who seek your soul.

17And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: Thus said the LORD, God of hosts^e, God of Israel: If you will surely go out to the princes of the king of Babylon, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, you and your house. 18And if you will not go out to the princes of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand.

19And the king Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: I am anxious about the Jews who have fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they abuse me.

20And Jeremiah said: They shall not give you. Listen, please, to the voice of the LORD, in that which I am speaking to you; and it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live. 21And if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me: 22And behold, all the women^f who are left in the house of the king of Judah are being brought out to the princes of the king of Babylon; and they are saying: The men of your peace have incited you and prevailed over you; your feet are sunk in the mire, they have turned backward.

23And all your wives and your sons they are bringing out to the Chaldeans; and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but by the hand of the king of Babylon you shall be seized, and this city you shall burn with fire.

24And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die. 25And if the princes hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you: Declare please to us what you spoke to the king; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; and what the king spoke to you— 26then you shall say to them: I was presenting my supplication before the king, that he not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan, to die there.

27And all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. And they were silent toward him, for the matter was not heard. 28And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured. And it came to pass when Jerusalem was captured—