1 Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and
Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah, heard the words
that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying, 2 Thus says Yahweh, He who
remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the
pestilence; but he who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life
shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live. 3 Thus says Yahweh, This
city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon,
and he shall take it. 4 Then the princes said to the king, Let this man,
we pray you, be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war
who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such
words to them: for this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but the
hurt. 5 Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king
is not he who can do anything against you. 6 Then took they Jeremiah, and
cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court
of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was
no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire. 7 Now when Ebedmelech
the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put
Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin,)
8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, 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 have cast into the dungeon; and he is
likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is
no more bread in the city. 10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the
Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with you, 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 there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the
dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now
these rags and worn-out garments under your armholes under the cords.
Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and took him
up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into
the third entry that is in the house of Yahweh: and the king said to
Jeremiah, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me. 15 Then Jeremiah
said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to
death? and if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me. 16 So
Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, As Yahweh lives, who
made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into
the hand of these men who seek your life. 17 Then said Jeremiah to
Zedekiah, Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will
go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live, and
this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house.
18 But if you will 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 you shall not escape out of their hand. 19 Zedekiah the
king said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who are fallen away to the
Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. 20 But
Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of
Yahweh, in that which I speak to you: so it shall be well with you, and your
soul shall live. 21 But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that
Yahweh has shown me: 22 behold, all the women who 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, Your familiar friends have set you on, and have
prevailed over you: now that your feet are sunk in the mire, they are
turned away back. 23 They shall bring out all your wives and your children
to the Chaldeans; and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be
taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be
burned with fire. 24 Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah, Let no man know of
these words, and you shall not die. 25 But if the princes hear that I have
talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, Declare to us now what
you have said to the king; don’t hide it from us, and we will not put you to
death; also what the king said to you: 26 then you shall tell 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 to
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 guard until
the day that Jerusalem was taken.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
|
|