JER-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 unto all the
people, saying,
JER-38:2 Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city
shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he
shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
JER-38:3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given
into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.
JER-38:4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech
thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth 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 seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
JER-38:5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he [is] in your
hand: for the king [is] not [he that] can do [any] thing against
you.
JER-38:6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast 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 sunk in the
mire.
JER-38:7 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 then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
JER-38:8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and
spake to the king, saying,
JER-38:9 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.
JER-38:10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian,
saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up
Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
JER-38:11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the
house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast
clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the
dungeon to Jeremiah.
JER-38:12 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.
JER-38:13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up
out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the
prison.
JER-38:14 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
thing; hide nothing from me.
JER-38:15 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, wilt thou not hearken unto me?
JER-38:16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah,
saying, [As] the LORD liveth, 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.
JER-38:17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD,
the God of hosts, the God of Israel; 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:
JER-38:18 But if thou wilt 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 thou shalt not
escape out of their hand.
JER-38:19 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.
JER-38:20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver [thee]. Obey,
I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee:
so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
JER-38:21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this [is] the word
that the LORD hath showed me:
JER-38:22 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, Thy friends have
set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk
in the mire, [and] they are turned away back.
JER-38:23 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.
JER-38:24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of
these words, and thou shalt not die.
JER-38:25 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:
JER-38:26 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.
JER-38:27 Then came all the princes unto 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.
JER-38:28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the
day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was [there] when Jerusalem
was taken.
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