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Jeremiah 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,
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.
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