1Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehukal and Pashhur heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people. Shephatiah was the son of Mattan. Gedaliah was the son of Pashhur. Jehukal was the son of Shelemiah. And Pashhur was the son of Malkijah. These four men heard Jeremiah say,2‘The LORD says, “Those who stay in this city will die of war, hunger or plague. But those who go over to the side of the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives. They will remain alive.”3The LORD also says, “This city will certainly be handed over to the armies of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.” ’4Then these officials said to the king, ‘This man should be put to death. What he says is making the soldiers who are left in this city lose hope. It’s making all the people lose hope too. He isn’t interested in what is best for the people. In fact, he’s trying to destroy them.’5‘He’s in your hands,’ King Zedekiah answered. ‘I can’t do anything to oppose you.’6So they took Jeremiah and put him into an empty well. It belonged to Malkijah. He was a member of the royal court. His well was in the courtyard of the guard. Zedekiah’s men lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the well. It didn’t have any water in it. All it had was mud. And Jeremiah sank down into the mud.7Ebed-Melek was an official in the royal palace. He was from the land of Cush. He heard that Jeremiah had been put into the well. The king was sitting by the Benjamin Gate at that time.8Ebed-Melek went out of the palace. He said to the king,9‘My king and master, everything these men have done to Jeremiah the prophet is evil. They have thrown him into an empty well. Soon there won’t be any more bread in the city. Then he’ll starve to death.’10So the king gave an order to Ebed-Melek the Cushite. He said, ‘Take with you 30 men from here. Lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the well before he dies.’11Then Ebed-Melek took the men with him. He went to a room in the palace. It was under the place where the treasures were stored. He got some old rags and worn-out clothes from there. Then he let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the well.12Ebed-Melek the Cushite told Jeremiah what to do. Ebed-Melek said, ‘Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms. They’ll pad the ropes.’ So Jeremiah did.13Then the men pulled him up with the ropes. They lifted him out of the well. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Zedekiah questions Jeremiah again
14Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet. The king had him brought to the third entrance to the LORD’s temple. ‘I want to ask you something,’ the king said to Jeremiah. ‘Don’t hide anything from me.’15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, ‘Suppose I give you an answer. You will kill me, won’t you? Suppose I give you good advice. You won’t listen to me, will you?’16But King Zedekiah promised Jeremiah secretly, ‘I won’t kill you. And I won’t hand you over to those who want to kill you. That’s just as sure as the LORD is alive. He’s the one who has given us breath.’17So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, ‘The LORD God who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Give yourself up to the officers of the king of Babylon. Then your life will be spared. And this city will not be burned down. You and your family will remain alive.18But what if you do not give yourself up to them? Then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down. And you yourself will not escape from them.” ’19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, ‘I’m afraid of some of the Jews. They are the ones who have gone over to the side of the Babylonians. The Babylonians might hand me over to them. And those Jews will treat me badly.’20‘They won’t hand you over to them,’ Jeremiah replied. ‘Obey the LORD. Do what I tell you to do. Then things will go well with you. Your life will be spared.21Don’t refuse to give yourself up. The LORD has shown me what will happen if you do.22All the women who are left in your palace will be brought out. They’ll be given to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you, ‘ “Your trusted friends have tricked you. They have got the better of you. Your feet are sunk down in the mud. Your friends have deserted you.”23‘All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself won’t escape from them. You will be captured by the king of Babylon. And this city will be burned down.’24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, ‘Don’t let anyone know about the talk we’ve had. If you do, you might die.25Suppose the officials find out that I’ve talked with you. And suppose they come to you and say, “Tell us what you said to the king. Tell us what the king said to you. Don’t hide it from us. If you do, we’ll kill you.”26Then tell them, “I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house. I don’t want to die there.” ’27All the officials came to Jeremiah. And they questioned him. He told them everything the king had ordered him to say. None of them had heard what he told the king. So they didn’t say anything else to him.
Jerusalem is destroyed
28Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard. He stayed there until the day Jerusalem was captured. Here is how Jerusalem was captured.
Jeremiah 38
English Standard Version
Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern
1Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: (Jer 20:1; Jer 37:3)2“Thus says the Lord: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. (Jer 21:9; Jer 38:17)3Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” (Jer 32:3)4Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” (Jer 6:24; Jer 26:11; Jer 33:9)5King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” (Jer 38:24)6So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. (Ge 37:24; Ps 69:14; Jer 32:2; Jer 37:16; Jer 38:11; Jer 38:13; Zec 9:11)
Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern
7When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— (Isa 56:3; Jer 29:2; Jer 37:13; Jer 39:16; Ac 8:27)8Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, (Jer 38:7)9“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” (Jer 11:22; Jer 14:16; Jer 14:18; Jer 19:9; Jer 37:21)10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” (Jer 38:7)11So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. (Jer 38:6; Jer 38:7)12Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. (Jer 38:7; Jer 38:11)13Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. (Jer 38:6; Jer 38:11)
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again
14King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.”15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”16Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” (Ru 3:13; Isa 57:16; Jer 37:17; Jer 38:1)17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. (2Ki 24:12; Jer 27:12; Jer 34:4; Jer 38:2; Jer 38:21; Jer 39:3)18But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” (Jer 21:10; Jer 38:17)19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.” (Jer 37:13)20Jeremiah said, “You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. (Jer 40:9)21But if you refuse to surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me: (Jer 38:17)22Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying, “‘Your trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you; now that your feet are sunk in the mud, they turn away from you.’ (Jer 20:10)23All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.” (Jer 39:6; Jer 41:10; Jer 43:6)24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.25If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’ (Jer 38:5)26then you shall say to them, ‘I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” (Jer 37:20)27Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard.28And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. (Jer 32:2)