Jeremiah 38
1WHEN Saphanias son of Nathan and Godolias son of Paschor and Joachal son of Semelias, heard the words which Jeremias spoke concerning the people saying,
2’Thus said the Lord: He who abideth in this city shall die by the sword and the famine; but he who goeth out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life for a spoil. He shall live.
3For thus said the Lord: This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon and he shall take it.’
4They said to the king, Let this man, we pray thee, be put out of the way; for he weakeneth the hands of the warriors who are left in the city and the hands of all the people by making such speeches to them. For this man prophesieth not peace to the people, but only evils.
5And the king said, Behold he is in your hands. For the king could not withstand them.
6So they threw him into the dungeon of Melchias the king’s son which was in the court of the prison. And when they had lowered him down into the dungeon, there was no water in the dungeon, but there was mire; and he was in the mire.
7But when Abdemelech, the Ethiopian, who was in the king’s family, heard that they had put Jeremias in the dungeon, as the king was at the gate of Benjamin,
8he went out to him and spoke to the king, and said,
9Thou hast done wrong in ordering this man to be put to death by way of famine, for there is [now] no bread in the city.*
10Thereupon the king gave orders to Abdemelech, saying, Take hence with thee thirty men and draw him up out of the dungeon, that he may not die.
11So Abdemelech took the men and went to the king’s house, into the cellar, and took thence old rags and old ropes and threw them down to Jeremias into the dungeon
12and said, Put those under the ropes. And when Jeremias had done so,
13they drew him up with the ropes out of the dungeon. And Jeremias abode in the court of the prison.
14And the king sent and ordered him to come to him to the house Aseleisel which is in the house of the Lord. And the king said to him, I will ask thee a word and thou must not conceal anything from me.
15And Jeremias said to the king, If I tell thee, wilt thou not put me to death? And if I give thee counsel, perhaps thou wilt not hearken to me.
16Then the king swore to him, saying, As the Lord liveth Who made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, nor will I deliver thee into the hands of those men.
17And Jeremias said, Thus said the Lord: If thou wilt go out to the generals of the king of Babylon, thy soul shall live and this city will not be burned with fire. Both thou and thy family shall live.
18But if thou wilt not go out, this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans and they will burn it with fire; and thou shalt not escape.
19And the king said to Jeremias, I am afraid of the Jews who have fled to the Chaldeans, lest upon being delivered into their hand they make me a mocking stock.
20And Jeremias replied, Thou wilt not be delivered up to them, Hear the word of the Lord which I speak to thee and it will be better for thee and thy soul shall live.
21But if thou wilt not go out, this is the word which the Lord hath revealed to me:
22And behold all the women who were left in the house of the king of Juda were brought out to the chiefs of the king of Babylon. And they said, Thy men of peace deceived thee, and will prevail over thee. And with a fall they will weaken thy foot. They are gone from thee.
23And thy wives and thy children shall be brought out to the Chaldeans. And thou shalt not escape. For by the hand of the king of Babylon thou shalt be taken and this city shall be burned.
24Then the king said to him, Let no man know any of these words, and thou shalt not be put to death.
25And if the chiefs hear that I have spoken to thee and come to thee and say, Tell us, What did the king say to thee? Hide it not from us and we will not put thee to death. What did the king say to thee?
26Then thou shalt say to them, I presented my supplication before the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.
27So when all the chiefs came to Jeremias and questioned him, he answered them according to all the words which the king commanded and they were silent; for the word of the Lord was not heard.
28So Jeremias remained in the court of the prison until Jerusalem was taken.