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,
02 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.
03 Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be
given into the hand of the king of Babylon's
army, which shall take it.
04 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.
05 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in
your hand: for the king is not he that can do any
thing against you.
06 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.
07 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;
08 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house,
and spake to the king saying,
09 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.
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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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