Jeremiah 38

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1. 1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashur son of Malchiah all heard what Jeremiah had been telling the people:
2. 2The LORD says: 'Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, or disease. But anyone who goes out to the Chaldeans will live; they will have their life as a prize and will survive.'
3. 3"The LORD also says: 'This city will definitely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.'"
4. 4So the officials said to the king, "We beg you, let this man be put to death, for he weakens the hands of the soldiers who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm."
5. 5King Zedekiah replied, 'He's in your hands, for the king is unable to do anything against you.'
6. 6So they took Jeremiah and lowered him with ropes into the dungeon of Malchiah, the son of Hammelech, which was in the courtyard of the prison. There was no water in the dungeon, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
7. 7Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. The king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin at the time,
8. 8so Ebedmelech left the palace and went to speak with the king.
9. 9"My lord the king," he said, "these men have done evil in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the dungeon. He is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the city."
10. 10The king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, "Take thirty men with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies."
11. 11Ebedmelech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury. He took from there old cast-off clothes and old rotten rags, and lowered them by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12. 12And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Put these old cast-off clothes and rotten rags under your arms under the ropes." And Jeremiah did so.
13. 13Then they pulled Jeremiah up out of the dungeon with the ropes. After that, Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14. 14King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance of the LORD's house. The king said to Jeremiah, "I want to ask you something. Don't hold anything back from me."
15. 15Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, won't you surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, won't you refuse to listen to me?"
16. 16So King Zedekiah swore an oath to Jeremiah in secret, saying, "As the LORD lives, who gave us life, I will not put you to death, nor will I hand you over to the men who seek your life."
17. 17Then Jeremiah told Zedekiah, "The LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, says this: 'If you surrender to the king of Babylon's commanders, you will live, this city won't be burned down, and your family will survive.
18. 18But if you refuse to surrender to the king of Babylon's commanders, this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it to the ground, and you will not escape.'"
19. 19Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they hand me over into their hand, and they mock me."
20. 20Jeremiah replied, "They won't hand you over. Please, obey the voice of the LORD — do what I'm telling you. Things will go well for you, and your soul shall live."
21. 21But if you refuse to surrender, here is what the LORD has shown me:
22. 22All the women still left in the royal palace of Judah will be led out to the king of Babylon's commanders. And those women will say, 'Your friends have urged you on and have prevailed against you. Now your feet are stuck in the mud, and they've turned away.'
23. 23All your wives and children will be handed over to the Chaldeans. You yourself won't escape — you'll be captured by the king of Babylon. And you will cause this city to be burned with fire.
24. 24Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone find out about this conversation, or you'll die.
25. 25If the officials hear that I talked with you and come to interrogate you, saying, 'Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you — don't hide it from us, and we won't kill you' —
26. 26then tell them, 'I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house, because I would die there.'"
27. 27Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. He told them everything the king had commanded him to say, so they stopped questioning him because no one had discovered the matter.
28. 28Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem fell. He was still there when the city was captured.