Jeremiah
Chapter 38
1 Then Shephatiah, Mattan’s son; Gedaliah, Pashur’s son; Jucal, Shelemiah’s son; and Pashur, Malchiah’s son heard what Jeremiah was telling everyone.
2 God says, “Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, hunger, and disease, but whoever goes to the Chaldeans will live; they will escape with their life and survive.”
3 God says, “This city will definitely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and they will capture it.”
4 So the leaders said to the king, “Please, let this man be killed because he is making the soldiers who are left in the city and all the people lose courage by saying these things. He is not looking out for the good of the people, but for their harm.”
5 King Zedekiah said, “Look, he’s in your control; the king can’t do anything against you.”
6 They took Jeremiah and threw him into Malchiah’s son Hammelech’s dungeon, in the prison yard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes. The dungeon had no water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
7 When Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs in the king’s palace, heard that they had thrown Jeremiah into the pit, while the king was sitting at the Benjamin gate;
8 Ebedmelech left the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying,
9 Sir, the king, these men have done wrong in everything they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into a pit, and he will probably die of hunger there because there is no bread left in the city.
10 The king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men from here with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit before he dies.”
11 Ebedmelech took the men and went into the king’s house below the treasury. He got some old torn clothes and worn-out rags, and using ropes, lowered them into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 Ebedmelech the Ethiopian told Jeremiah, “Place these old torn clothes and rotting rags under your armpits, beneath the ropes.” And Jeremiah did that.
13 They pulled Jeremiah out of the pit with ropes and he stayed in the prison courtyard.
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and brought him to the third entrance of God’s house. The king told Jeremiah, “I will ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.”
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, won’t you definitely kill me? And if I give you advice, won’t you listen to me?”
16 So King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah, saying, “As God lives, who made us this soul, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.”
17 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “God, the ruler of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: If you really go out to meet the king of Babylon’s officers, you will live, this city won’t be burned down, and you and your family will survive.”
18 If you don’t go out to meet the king of Babylon’s officers, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans, who will burn it, and you won’t escape from them.
19 King Zedekiah told Jeremiah, “I am scared of the Jews who joined the Chaldeans because I worry they will hand me over to them, and they will make fun of me.”
20 Jeremiah said, “They won’t hand you over. Please listen to what God is telling you through me: then things will go well for you, and you will stay alive.”
21 If you choose not to go out, here is the message God has revealed to me:
22 Look, all the women left in Judah’s king’s house will be taken to the king of Babylon’s officials, and they will say, “Your allies encouraged you and have beaten you: your feet are stuck in the mud, and they have turned away from you.”
23 They will bring out all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You will not escape from them but will be captured by the king of Babylon. You will make this city burn with fire.
24 Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these words and you won’t die.”
25 If the leaders find out I spoke with you, and they ask you, ‘Tell us what you told the king and what he said to you; don’t hide it from us and we won’t kill you,’
26 Then you should tell them, I asked the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die.
27 All the leaders went to Jeremiah and asked him questions, and he answered with the words that the king had ordered. Then they stopped talking with him because they didn’t understand the situation.
28 Jeremiah stayed in the prison courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and he was there when it happened.