Jeremiah Cast Into the Cistern
1 Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying, 2 “The LORD says, ‘He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live, and he will escape with his life.’ 3 The LORD says, ‘This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will overtake it.’ ”
4 Then the leaders said to the king, “Please let this man be put to death because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them, for this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but harm.”
5 Zedekiah the king said, “He is in your hands, for the king cannot do anything to oppose you.”
6 Then they took Jeremiah and threw him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard. They let Jeremiah down with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Jeremiah Rescued
7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate), 8 Ebedmelech went out from 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 cast into the dungeon. He is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here 30 men with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.”
11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and taking rags and worn-out garments from there, he lowered the cords into the dungeon, to Jeremiah. 12 Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits, under the cords.” Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords and pulled him up out of the dungeon, and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Jeremiah Again Warns Zedekiah
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent for Jeremiah the prophet to bring him to himself in the third entry that is in the house of the LORD. Then the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I advise you, you will not listen to me.”
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, who made us, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hands of these men who seek your life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you will go out to the king of Babylon’s leaders, then you will live, and this city will not be burned down. You will live, along with your household. 18 But if you will not go out to the king of Babylon’s leaders, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it down, and you will not escape from their hand.’ ”
19 Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hands, and they mock me.”
20 But Jeremiah said, “They will not deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of the LORD, that which I am speaking to you, so it will be well with you, and you will live. 21 But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that the LORD has shown me, 22 ‘All the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house will be brought out to the king of Babylon’s leaders, and those women will say:
Your trusted friends have turned on you,
and have prevailed over you.
Your feet have sunk in the mire,
and they have turned away from you.
23 They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You will not escape from their hand, but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned down.’ ”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you will not die. 25 But if the leaders hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and tell 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 tell us what the king said to you,’ 26 Then you shall tell them, ‘I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.’ ”
27 Then all the leaders came to Jeremiah, asking him questions, and he told them all the words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the matter was still unknown.
28 So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.