Jeremiah 38
38
1 Then Shephatiah, the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah, the son of Pashhur, and Jehucal, the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying:
2 "Thus says the Lord: Whoever will remain in this city will die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence. But whoever will flee away from the Chaldeans, will live, and his soul will dwell in safety.
3 Thus says the Lord: This city will certainly be delivered into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it."
4 And the leaders said to the king: "We petition you to put this man to death. For he is deliberately weakening the hands of the men of war, who have remained in this city, and the hands of the people, by speaking to them with these words. For this man is certainly not seeking peace for this people, but evil."
5 And king Zedekiah said: "Behold, he is in your hands. For it is not fitting for the king to deny you anything."
6 Therefore, they took Jeremiah and cast him into the pit of Malchiah, the son of Amelech, which was at the entrance to the prison. And they lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the pit, in which there was no water, but only mud. And so Jeremiah descended into the mire.
7 Now Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had sent Jeremiah into the pit, and also that the king was sitting at the gate of Benjamin.
8 And so Ebedmelech departed from the king's house, and he spoke to the king, saying:
9 "My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have perpetrated against Jeremiah the prophet, casting him into the pit so that he would die there from famine. For there is no more bread in the city."
10 And so the king instructed Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, saying: "Take with you thirty men from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dies."
11 Therefore, Ebedmelech, taking the men with him, entered into the king's house to a place below the storehouse. And he took from there old garments, no longer in use, and he sent them down by rope to Jeremiah in the pit.
12 And Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian, said to Jeremiah: "Place these old garments, and these cut and decaying cloths, under your arms and over the ropes." And Jeremiah did so.
13 And they pulled up Jeremiah with the ropes, and they led him away from the pit. And Jeremiah remained in the vestibule of the prison.
14 And king Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to him at the third gate, which was at the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah: "I will question you about a matter. You shall conceal nothing from me."
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: "If I announce to you, will you not put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me."
16 Then king Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah, secretly, saying: "As the Lord lives, who made this soul for us, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands of those men who are seeking your life."
17 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If, having set out, you go to the rulers of the king of Babylon, your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire. And you and your house will be safe.
18 But if you will not go to the rulers of the king of Babylon, this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire. And you will not escape from their hand."
19 And king Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: "I am anxious, because of the Jews who have crossed over to the Chaldeans, lest perhaps I may be delivered into their hands, and they may abuse me."
20 But Jeremiah responded: "They will not deliver you. Listen, I ask you, to the voice of the Lord, which I am speaking to you, and it will be well with you, and your soul will live.
21 But if you refuse to depart, this is the word that the Lord has revealed to me:
22 Behold, all the women who remain in the house of the king of Judah will be led away to the rulers of the king of Babylon. And the women will say: 'Your men of peacefulness have led you astray, and they have prevailed against you. They have immersed your feet in mud and have set them in a slippery place. And they have withdrawn from you.'
23 And all your wives and your sons will be led away to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from their hands. Instead, you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon. And he will burn this city with fire."
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: "Let no one know of these words, and you will not die.
25 But if the leaders hear that I have spoken with you, and if they come to you, and say to you: 'Tell us what you said to the king. Do not conceal it from us, and we will not put you to death. And tell us what the king said to you,'
26 then you shall say to them: 'I presented my supplication before the king, so that he would not order me to be led back to the house of Jonathan, to die there.' "
27 Then all the leaders came to Jeremiah, and they questioned him. And he spoke to them in accord with all the words that the king had commanded him. And they withdrew from him, for they had learned nothing.
28 Yet truly, Jeremiah remained at the entrance of the prison, until the day when Jerusalem was seized. And it happened that Jerusalem was captured.
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Jeremiah 38: CPDV
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Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 38
38
1And Shephatyah son of Mattan, and Geḏalyahu son of Pashḥur, and Yuḵal son of Shelemyahu, and Pashḥur son of Malkiyah heard the words which Yirmeyahu had spoken to all the people, saying,
2“Thus said יהוה, ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by scarcity of food, and by pestilence, but whoever goes over to the Kasdim shall live. And his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’
3“Thus said יהוה, ‘This city is certainly given into the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel’s army, and he shall take it.’ ”
4Then the heads said to the sovereign, “Please, let this man be put to death, because he is weakening the hands of the men of battle who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the peace of this people, but the evil.”
5And Tsiḏqiyahu the sovereign said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the sovereign is unable to do any matter against you.”
6And they took Yirmeyahu and threw him into the dungeon of Malkiyahu the sovereign’s son, which was in the court of the guard, and they let Yirmeyahu down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mud. So Yirmeyahu sank in the mud.
7And Eḇeḏ-Meleḵ the Kushite, one of the eunuchs, who was in the sovereign’s house, heard that they had put Yirmeyahu in the dungeon. And the sovereign was sitting at the Gate of Binyamin,
8And Eḇeḏ-Meleḵ came from the sovereign’s house and spoke to the sovereign, saying,
9“My master the sovereign, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Yirmeyahu the prophet, whom they have thrown into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10And the sovereign commanded Eḇeḏ-Meleḵ the Kushite, saying, “Take thirty men from here with you, and lift Yirmeyahu the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.”
11So Eḇeḏ-Meleḵ took the men with him and went into the house of the sovereign under the treasury, and took old clothes and old rags from there, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Yirmeyahu.
12And Eḇeḏ-Meleḵ the Kushite said to Yirmeyahu, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Yirmeyahu did so,
13and they pulled Yirmeyahu up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Yirmeyahu remained in the court of the guard.
14Then Tsiḏqiyahu the sovereign sent and had Yirmeyahu the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the House of יהוה. And the sovereign said to Yirmeyahu, “I am asking you a matter. Do not hide a matter from me.”
15And Yirmeyahu said to Tsiḏqiyahu, “If I declare it to you, shall you not put me to death? And if I give you advice, you shall not listen to me.”
16But Tsiḏqiyahu the sovereign swore secretly to Yirmeyahu, saying, “As יהוה lives, who made us this life, I do not put you to death, nor do I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”
17And Yirmeyahu said to Tsiḏqiyahu, “Thus said יהוה, the Elohim of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘If you do indeed surrender to the heads of the sovereign of Baḇel, then your being shall live, and this city not be burned with fire. And you and your house shall live.
18But if you do not surrender to the heads of the sovereign of Baḇel, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Kasdim, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’ ”
19Then Tsiḏqiyahu the sovereign said to Yirmeyahu, “I am afraid of the Yehuḏim who have gone over to the Kasdim, lest they give me into their hand, and they maltreat me.”
20But Yirmeyahu said, “They shall not hand you over. Please, obey the voice of יהוה which I speak to you, and let it be well with you, and your life be spared.
21“But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that יהוה has shown me:
22Then see, all the women who are left in the sovereign of Yehuḏah’s house shall be surrendered to the heads of the sovereign of Baḇel, and see, they are saying, “Your close friends have set upon you and prevailed against you; your feet have sunk in the mire; they have turned away again.”
23And they are going to surrender all your wives and children to the Kasdim, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but be taken by the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel, and this city shall be burned with fire.’ ”
24Then Tsiḏqiyahu said to Yirmeyahu, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.
25“But if the heads hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the sovereign, and also what the sovereign said to you. Do not hide it from us, and we do not put you to death,’
26then you shall say to them, ‘I presented my petition before the sovereign, not to send me back to the house of Yonathan to die there.’ ”
27And all the heads came to Yirmeyahu and asked him. And he informed them according to all these words that the sovereign had commanded. And they said no more to him, for the matter was not heard.
28So Yirmeyahu remained in the court of the guard until the day that Yerushalayim was taken, and he was there when Yerushalayim was taken.
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