“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, 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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; 8
Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake 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 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 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. 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. 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. 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.”
“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.
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? 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. 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: 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. 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. 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. 21 But if
thou refuse to go forth, this [is] the word that the LORD hath shewed
me: 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. 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. 24 Then said Zedekiah unto
Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. 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: 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. 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. 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.” (Jeremiah 38:1-28 AV)