Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah Thrown Into the Cistern

1 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people:

2 “This is what the LORD says: Anyone who stays in this city will die by sword, famine, or plague. But anyone who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans will live, he will escape with his life.”

3 “This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death! He is weakening the morale of the soldiers still left in this city and the morale of all the people by saying these things. This man is not seeking the good of this people, but their harm.”

5 King Zedekiah said, “Look, he is in your hands. The king cannot do anything against you.”

6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

Ebed-melek Rescues Jeremiah

7 But Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian, a eunuch serving in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,

8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him,

9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in everything they did to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into a cistern, and he will starve to death there, because there is no more bread in the city.”

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men from here under your command and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the cistern before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took old rags and worn-out clothes from there and lowered them by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.

12 Ebed-Melek said to Jeremiah, “Put these rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so.

13 They pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again

14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and had him brought to the third entrance of the LORD’s house. The king said to Jeremiah, “I want to ask you something, do not hide anything from me.”

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not put me to death, And if I give you advice, you will not listen.”

16 But King Zedekiah secretly swore to Jeremiah, “As the LORD lives, who gave us this life, I will not put you to death or hand you over to those who want to kill you.”

The Way of Life Repeated

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD, the God of armies, the God of Israel, says: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned. You and your household will live.”

18 “But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, This city will be handed over to the Chaldeans, they will burn it with fire, And you yourself will not escape from their hand.”

19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans. They might hand me over, and I will be abused.”

20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Please obey the LORD by doing what I am telling you, so it will go well with you and you will live.”

21 “But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word the LORD has shown me:

22 All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and they will say: ‘Your trusted friends misled you and overpowered you. Your feet sank into the mud; they deserted you.’”

23 “All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. You yourself will not escape their hand but will be captured by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.”

Zedekiah Orders Secrecy

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.”

25 “If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come ask, ‘Tell us what you said to the king, do not hide it from us or we will kill you, and what did the king say to you,’”

26 “Then tell them, ‘I was presenting my plea to the king that he not send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’”

27 All the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. He answered them just as the king had instructed. So they said nothing more, because no one had overheard the conversation.

28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.