Jeremiah 38
38
Jeremiah Thrown into a Cistern
1Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal # = Jehucal in Jr 37:3 son of Shelemiah, # Jr 37:3 and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard the words Jeremiah was speaking to all the people: 2“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, # Jr 14:12; 21:9; 24:10; 27:8; 29:17-18; 32:24,36; 38:2; 42:17,22; 44:13; Ezk 6:11; 12:16 but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live. # Jr 21:9; 38:17-21 He will keep his life like the spoils of war and will live.’ # Jr 21:9; 39:18; 45:5 3This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will most certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon’s army, # Jr 32:3-5 and he will capture it.’ ”
4The officials then said to the king, “This man ought to die, because he is weakening the morale of the warriors who remain in this city and of all the people by speaking to them in this way. This man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but disaster.” # Jr 29:11
5King Zedekiah said, “Here he is; he’s in your hands since the king can’t do anything against you.” 6So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. # Gn 37:20-24
7But Ebed-melech, a Cushite court official employed in the king’s palace, heard Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate, # Jr 20:2; Ezk 48:32; Zch 14:10 8Ebed-melech went from the king’s palace and spoke to the king: 9“My lord the king, these men have been evil in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern where he will die from hunger, because there is no more bread in the city.” # Jr 37:21
10So the king commanded Ebed-melech, the Cushite, “Take from here 30 men under your authority and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the cistern before he dies.”
11So Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went to the king’s palace to a place below the storehouse. # Or treasury From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, “Place these old rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, but he continued to stay in the guard’s courtyard.
Zedekiah’s Final Meeting with Jeremiah
14King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.”
15Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.”
16King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private, # Jr 37:17 “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life, # Is 57:16 I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.”
17Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, # 2Kg 24:12; Jr 27:12; 38:2; 39:3 then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive. 18But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. # Jr 22:25; 32:24-25,28,43; 43:3 They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’ ”
19But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.” # Jdg 19:25; 1Sm 31:4
20“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live. 21But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict # Or promise ; lit word that the Lord has shown me: 22‘All the women # Or wives who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say:
Your trusted friends # Lit The men of your peace misled # Or incited you
and overcame you.
Your feet sank into the mire,
and they deserted you.
23All your wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans. # Jr 39:6; 41:10 You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn down.’ ”
24Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these things or you will die. 25If the officials hear that I have spoken with you # Jr 38:4-6 and come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide anything from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you? ’ 26then you will tell them, ‘I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’ ” # Jr 37:20 27When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because nothing had been heard. 28Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and he was there when it happened. # Or captured. This is what happened when Jerusalem was captured:
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Jeremiah 38: HCSB
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Jeremiah 38
38
In a Miry Cistern-Pit
1Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,
2thus says Adonai: “He that remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by plague, but anyone who goes out to the Chaldeans will live—so he will keep his life like the spoils of war, and will live.”
3Thus says Adonai: “This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
4Then the officials said to the king: “This man should now be put to death, since he demoralizes the men of war remaining in this city as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the shalom of this people, but calamity.”
5Then King Zedekiah said: “Here he is in your hand. For the king cannot do anything against you.”
6So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern-pit of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard, lowering Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the pit there was no water, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
7Now Ebed-melech—an Ethiopian official in the king’s palace—heard they had put Jeremiah in the pit. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,
8Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying:
9“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they cast into the pit. He is likely to die right where he is from hunger, for there is no more bread in the city.”
10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: “Take thirty men from here with you, and bring the prophet Jeremiah up out of the cistern, before he dies.”
11So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went into the king’s palace under the storehouse, from there he took worn-out clothes and worn-out rags, and lowered them by ropes into the cistern-pit to Jeremiah.
12And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah: “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes.” Jeremiah did so.
13Then they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes, and lifted him up out of the pit. But Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
14Then Zedekiah the king sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance in the House of Adonai. The king said to Jeremiah: “I am going to ask you something—hide nothing from me.”
15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: “If I tell you, won’t you surely put me to death? Besides, if I give you counsel, you won’t listen to me.”
16So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying: “As Adonai lives, that gave us life, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men seeking your life.”
17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: Thus says Adonai, Elohim-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “If you will go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then your soul will live, this city will not be burned with fire; and you and your household will survive.
18But if you do not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans; they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape out of their hand.”
19Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah: “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest they hand me over to them and they abuse me.”
20But Jeremiah said: “They will not hand you over. Please, obey the voice of Adonai, in what I am speaking to you, so it will go well for you, and your soul will live!
21But if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word that Adonai has shown me:
22‘Soon, all the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and those women will say: “Your close friends have misled you, and prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire, and they deserted you.’”
23“Then they will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans, and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down with fire.”
24Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah: “Let no one know of these words, and you will not die.
25“But if the officials hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you: ‘Tell us now what you have said to the king—hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death. And what did the king say to you?’
26Then you will tell them, ‘I was presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to Jonathan’s house to die there.’”
27When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he told them with just these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, since the matter was not overheard.
28Then Jeremiah stayed in the guard’s courtyard until the day that Jerusalem was captured.
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