Jeremiah 38 (GNV)

1Then Shephatiah the sonne of Mattan, and Gedaliah the sonne of Pashur, and Iucal the sonne of Shelemiah, and Pashur the sonne of Malchiah, heard the wordes that Ieremiah had spoken vnto all the people, saying,Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:

2Thus sayth the Lord, He that remaineth in this citie, shall dye by the sworde, by the famine and by the pestilence: but hee that goeth foorth to the Caldeans, shall liue: for he shall haue his life for a praye, and shall liue.“This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.

3Thus sayth the Lord, This citie shall surely be giuen into the hand of the King of Babels armie, which shall take it.This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

4Therefore the Princes sayd vnto the King, We beseech you, let this man be put to death: for thus hee weakeneth the hands of the men of warre that remaine in this citie, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such wordes vnto them: for this man seeketh not the wealth of this people, but the hurt.Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”

5Then Zedekiah the King sayd, Behold, he is in your hands, for ye King can denie you nothing.“Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”

6Then tooke they Ieremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the sonne of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let downe Ieremiah with coards: and in the dungeon there was no water but myre: so Ieremiah stacke fast in the myre.So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

7Now when Ebed-melech ye blacke More one of ye Eunuches, which was in the kings house, heard that they had put Ieremiah in the dungeon (then the King sate in the gate of Beniamin)Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,

8And Ebed-melech went out of the Kings house, and spake to the King, saying,Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king,

9My lorde the King, these men haue done euill in all that they haue done to Ieremiah the Prophet, whom they haue cast into the dungeon, and he dyeth for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the citie.“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”

10Then the King commanded Ebed-melech the blacke More, saying, Take from hence thirtie men with thee, and take Ieremiah the Prophet out of the dungeon before he dye.So the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

11So Ebed-melech tooke the men with him and went to the house of the King vnder the treasurie, and tooke there olde rotten ragges, and olde worne cloutes, and let them downe by coards into the dungeon to Ieremiah.Then Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.

12And Ebed-melech the blacke More sayde vnto Ieremiah, Put now these olde rotten ragges and worne, vnder thine arme holes, betweene the coards. And Ieremiah did so.Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, “Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,

13So they drewe vp Ieremiah with coards and tooke him vp out of the dungeon, and Ieremiah remained in the court of the prison.and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

14Then Zedekiah the King sent, and tooke Ieremiah the Prophet vnto him, into the thirde entrie that is in the House of the Lord, and the King sayd vnto Ieremiah, I wil aske thee a thing: hide nothing from me.Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” said the king to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”

15Then Ieremiah sayd to Zedekiah, If I declare it vnto thee, wilt not thou slay me? and if I giue thee counsell, thou wilt not heare me.“If I tell you,” Jeremiah replied, “you will surely put me to death. And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16So the King sware secretly vnto Ieremiah, saying, As the Lord liueth that made vs these soules, I will not slay thee, nor giue thee into the hands of those men that seeke thy life.But King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of these men who are seeking your life.”

17Then sayd Ieremiah vnto Zedekiah, Thus sayth the Lord God of hostes, the God of Israel, If thou wilt goe foorth vnto the King of Babels princes, then thy soule shall liue, and this citie shall not be burnt vp with fire, and thou shalt liue, and thine house.Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.

18But if thou wilt not go forth to the King of Babels princes, then shall this citie be giuen into the hand of ye Caldeans, and they shall burne it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hands.But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”

19And Zedekiah the King sayde vnto Ieremiah, I am carefull for the Iewes that are fled vnto the Caldeans, least they deliuer mee into their hands, and they mocke me.But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for the Chaldeans may deliver me into their hands to abuse me.”

20But Ieremiah sayd, They shall not deliuer thee: hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord, I beseech thee, which I speake vnto thee: so shall it be well vnto thee, and thy soule shall liue.“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am telling you, that it may go well with you and you may live.

21But if thou wilt refuse to go forth, this is the worde that the Lord hath shewed me.But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:

22And beholde, all the women that are left in the King of Iudahs house, shalbe brought forth to the King of Babels princes: and those women shall say, Thy friends haue perswaded thee, and haue preuailed against thee: thy feete are fastened in the myre, and they are turned backe.All the women who remain in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon, and those women will say: ‘They misled you and overcame you—those trusted friends of yours. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.’

23So they shall bring out all thy wiues, and thy children to the Caldeans, and thou shalt not escape out of their hands, but shalt be taken by the hand of the King of Babel: and this citie shalt thou cause to be burnt with fire.All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.”

24Then said Zedekiah vnto Ieremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

25But if ye princes vnderstand that I haue talked with thee, and they come vnto thee, and say vnto thee, Declare vnto vs nowe, what thou hast sayde vnto the King, hide it not from vs, and we will not slay thee: also what the King sayd vnto thee,If the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,’

26Then shalt thou say vnto them, I humbly besought the King that he would not cause me to returne to Iehonathans house, to die there.then tell them, ‘I was presenting to the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

27Then came all the princes vnto Ieremiah and asked him. And he tolde them according to all these wordes that the King had commanded: so they left off speaking with him, for the matter was not perceiued.When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he relayed to them the exact words the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had overheard the conversation.

28So Ieremiah abode still in the court of the prison, vntill the day that Ierusalem was taken: and he was there, when Ierusalem was taken.And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern