UST JER Chapter 38

Officials throw Jeremiah into a cistern

38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was saying to all the people. 2 He was telling them that Yahweh had said that everyone who stayed in this city would die in war or from famine or from disease, but that everyone who left the city and surrendered to the Chaldeans that is, the Babylonians would stay alive. Such a person would escape with nothing except his own life, but he would remain alive. 3 Jeremiah was also telling them that Yahweh had said that he would certainly hand this city over to the army of the king of Babylon, and that army would capture it. 4 So the officials said to the king, “Please command your men to kill this man! By saying such things, he is making the soldiers who are still in this city lose their courage, and he is discouraging all the other people as well. This man does not want to help these people; he only wants to harm them.” 5 King Zedekiah answered, “Very well, you may do with him whatever you want. I am the king, but I cannot do anything to stop you.” 6 So the officials took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern that belonged to Malkijah, a son of the king. That cistern was in the courtyard of the guard, and they lowered Jeremiah into it with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, so Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

7 Now Ebed Melech, a man from the land of Cush, served as an official in the king’s palace. He heard that the officials had put Jeremiah into the cistern. At that time the king was sitting and deciding people’s cases at the Gate of Benjamin. 8 So Ebed Melech left the palace and said to the king, 9 “My master the king, these men have acted very wickedly in everything that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into a cistern, and he will starve to death down there, because there is no more food in the city.” 10 So the king commanded Ebed Melech from the land of Cush, “Take thirty men from here with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed Melech took the men with him and went into the palace, to a room underneath the storeroom. He got some worn-out rags and worn-out clothes from there, and he lowered them to Jeremiah in the cistern with ropes. 12 Then Ebed Melech from the land of Cush called down to Jeremiah, “Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your armpits, to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did that. 13 Then the men pulled Jeremiah up out of the cistern with the ropes. After that, Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

Zedekiah questions Jeremiah again

14 Later King Zedekiah sent men who brought Jeremiah the prophet to him at the third entrance to the temple of Yahweh. The king said to Jeremiah, “I want to ask you about something. Do not hide anything from me.” 15 Jeremiah answered Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will certainly kill me. And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 So King Zedekiah made a solemn promise to Jeremiah privately. He said, “As surely as Yahweh lives, the one who gave us the lives that we have, I will not kill you, and I will not hand you over to these men who are trying to kill you.”

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies, the God whom the people of Israel worship, says this to you: ‘If you go out and surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, you will stay alive, and no one will burn this city down, and you and your family will keep on living. 18 However, if you do not go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, then I will hand this city over to the Chaldeans, and they will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’ ” 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans may hand me over to those Judeans, and those Judeans will torment me.” 20 Jeremiah answered, “The Chaldeans will not hand you over to them. Please obey what Yahweh is telling you through me. Then things will go well for you, and you will stay alive. 21 However, if you refuse to go out and surrender, this is what Yahweh has revealed to me. 22 Men will bring out all the women who are still in the palace of the king of Judah, and they will hand those women over to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:

‘Your friends, the men you trusted, misled you and got the better of you.

Now that you are completely helpless, they have deserted you.’

23 Men will bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from them. The king of Babylon will capture you, and you yourself will cause this city to burn down.”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone at all know about what we have said, and you will not die. 25 The officials may hear that I have talked with you. They may come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king. Do not hide it from us, and we will not kill you. Tell us also what the king said to you.’ 26 If that happens, say to them, ‘I was humbly begging the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan, because I would die there.’ ” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. He told them exactly what the king had commanded him to say. So they stopped questioning him, because no one had overheard what he and the king had said. 28 So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard until the day when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem. This is what took place when they captured Jerusalem: