1 THEN Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
3 Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.
4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which 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 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake 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 like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the Lord: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.
15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?
16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
18 But if thou wilt 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 thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord hath shewed me:
22 And, behold, all the women that 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, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
26 Then thou shalt say unto 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 unto 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 prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

1Then Shephatiah the sonne of Mattan, and Gedaliah the sonne of Pashur and Iucal the sonne of Shelemiah, & Pashur the sonne of Malchiah heard the words that Ieremiah had spoken vnto all the people, saying,

2Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this citie, shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he that goeth forth to the Caldeans, shall liue: for he shall haue his life for a pray, and shall liue.

3Thus saith the Lord, This citie shall surely be giuen into the hand of the king of Babylons armie, which shall take it.

4Therefore the princes sayd vnto the king, We beseech thee let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of warre that remaine in this citie, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words vnto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

5Then Zedekiah the king sayd, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

6Then tooke they Ieremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the sonne of Hammelech that was in the court of the prison: and they let downe Ieremiah with cords: and in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Ieremiah sunke in the mire.

7 Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of þe eunuches which was in the kings house, heard that they had put Ieremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Beniamin)

8Ebed-melech went foorth out of the kings house, and spake to the king, saying,

9My lord the king, these men haue done euill in all that they haue done to Ieremiah the Prophet, whom they haue cast into the dungeon, and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the city.

10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirtie men with thee, and take vp Ieremiah the Prophet out of the dungeon before he die.

11So Ebed-melech tooke the men with him, and went into the house of the king vnder the treasurie, and tooke thence old cast cloutes, and old rotten ragges, and let them downe by cordes into the dungeon to Ieremiah.

12And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said vnto Ieremiah, Put now these old cast cloutes and rotten ragges vnder thine arme-holes, vnder the cordes. And Ieremiah did so.

13So they drew vp Ieremiah with cordes, and tooke him vp out of the dungeon, and Ieremiah remained in the court of the prison.

14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and tooke Ieremiah the Prophet vnto him into the third entrie that is in the house of the Lord, and the king said vnto Ieremiah, I will aske thee a thing: hide nothing from me.

15Then Ieremiah said vnto Zedekiah, If I declare it vnto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I giue thee counsell, wilt thou not hearken vnto me?

16So the king sware secretly vnto Ieremiah, saying, As the Lord liueth that made vs this soule, I wil not put thee to death, neither will I giue thee into the hand of these men that seeke thy life.

17Then said Ieremiah vnto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord the God of hostes, the God of Israel, If thou wilt assuredly goe foorth vnto the king of Babylons Princes, then thy soule shall liue, and this Citie shall not be burnt with fire, and thou shalt liue, and thine house.

18But if thou wilt not goe foorth to the king of Babylons Princes, then shall this City be giuen into the hand of the Caldeans, and they shall burne it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

19And Zedekiah the king said vnto Ieremiah, I am afraid of the Iewes that are fallen to the Caldeans, lest they deliuer mee into their hand, and they mocke me.

20But Ieremiah said, They shall not deliuer thee: obey, I beseech thee, the voyce of the Lord, which I speake vnto thee: so it shall be well vnto thee, and thy soule shall liue.

21But if thou refuse to goe foorth, this is the word that the Lord hath shewed me.

22And behold, all the women that are left in the king of Iudahs house, shalbe brought forth to the king of Babylons Princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends haue set thee on, and haue preuailed against thee: thy feet are sunke in the mire, and they are turned away backe.

23So they shall bring out all thy wiues, and thy children to the Caldeans, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the King of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this citie to be burnt with fire.

24 Then said Zedekiah vnto Ieremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

25But if the Princes heare that I haue talked with thee, and they come vnto thee, and say vnto thee, Declare vnto vs now what thou hast said vnto the king; hide it not from vs, and wee wil not put thee to death; also what the king said vnto thee:

26Then thou shalt say vnto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to returne to Ionathans house to die there.

27Then came all the Princes vnto Ieremiah, 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 perceiued.

28So Ieremiah abode in the court of the prison, vntill the day that Ierusalem was taken, and hee was there when Ierusalem was taken.

II == Jer 21:9

III == Jer 21:10 ; 32:3

IV == Jer 26:11

VI == Jer 37:21

VII == Jer 39:16

XIII == Jer 37:21 ; 38:6

XVI == Isa 57:16

XVII == 2nd Kings 24:12 ; Jer 39:3

XVIII == Jer 32:4 ; 34:3 ; 38:23

XIX == 1st Sam 31:4

XXIII == Jer 38:18 ; 39:6 ; 41:10

XXVI == Jer 37:15 , 20

XXVIII == 2nd Kings 25:1-4 ; Jer 37:21 ; 39:14 ; 52:4-7

1 Shephatiah, son of Mattan, Gedaliah, son of Pashhur, Jucal, son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur, son of Malchiah, heard Jeremiah speaking these words to all the people:

2 Thus says the LORD: He who remains in this city shall die by sword, or famine, or pestilence; but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be spared him as booty, and he shall live.

3 Thus says the LORD: This city shall certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon; he shall capture it.

4 "This man ought to be put to death," the princes said to the king; "he demoralizes the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin."

5 King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power"; for the king could do nothing with them.

6 And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

7 Now Ebed-melech, a Cushite, a courtier in the king's palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened just then to be at the Gate of Benjamin,

8 and Ebed-melech went there from the palace and said to him,

9 "My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city."

10 Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite to take three men along with him, and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die.

11 Ebed-melech took the men along with him, and went first to the linen closet in the palace, from which he took some old, tattered rags; these he sent down to Jeremiah in the cistern, with ropes.

12 Then he said to Jeremiah, "Put the old, tattered rags between your armpits and the ropes." Jeremiah did so,

13 and they drew him up with the ropes out of the cistern. But Jeremiah remained in the quarters of the guard.

14 Once King Zedekiah summoned the prophet Jeremiah to come to him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. "I have a question to ask you," the king said to Jeremiah; "hide nothing from me." Jeremiah answered Zedekiah:

15 If I tell you anything, you will have me killed, will you not? If I counsel you, you will not listen to me!

16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah secretly: "As the LORD lives who gave us the breath of life, I will not kill you; nor will I hand you over to these men who seek your life."

17 Thereupon Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: Thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you surrender to the princes of Babylon's king, you shall save your life; this city shall not be destroyed with fire, and you and your family shall live.

18 But if you do not surrender to the princes of Babylon's king, this city shall fall into the hands of the Chaldeans, who shall destroy it with fire, and you shall not escape their hands.

19 King Zedekiah, however, said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the men of Judah who have deserted to the Chaldeans; I may be handed over to them, and they will mistreat me."

20 You will not be handed over, Jeremiah answered. Please obey the voice of the LORD and do as I tell you; then it shall go well with you, and your life will be spared.

21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD shows me:

22 All the women left in the house of Judah's king shall be brought out to the princes of Babylon's king, and they shall taunt you thus: "They betrayed you, outdid you, your good friends! Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they slink away."

23 All your wives and sons shall be led forth to the Chaldeans, and you shall not escape their hands; you shall be handed over to the king of Babylon, and this city shall be destroyed with fire.

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know about this conversation, or you shall die.

25 If the princes hear I spoke to you, if they come and ask you, 'Tell us what you said to the king; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,' or, 'What did the king say to you?'

26 give them this answer: 'I petitioned the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'"

27 When all the princes came to Jeremiah, they questioned him, and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. They said no more to him, for nothing had been heard of the earlier conversation.

28 Thus Jeremiah stayed in the quarters of the guard till the day Jerusalem was taken.When Jerusalem was taken. . . .

v 1-3. Gedaliah, possibly the son of the Pashur who beat Jeremiah, 20:1-3, and other prominent officials heard his continuing message to surrender to Babylon or die.

v 4-6. They thought he was harming, not helping, and asked to put him to death. Vacillating Zedekiah released him and he was put in a miry cistern dungeon. Some apparently threw stones down to try to kill him, Lam. 3:52,53.

v 7-9. Ebed-Melech, the only official who cared for Jeremiah and had access to the king, told him they had done wickedly and Jeremiah was liable to starve there.

v 10-13. With the king’s permission, he took 30 men, probably soldiers, to rescue Jeremiah. He was sunk in the mire, so they dropped old garments to put under his arms before lifting him out with their ropes. Now he was back in the guard court.

v 14-16. Zedekiah sent for him privately, asking him not to hide anything. But he feared the king would either kill him or not pay attention to him. The king promised no one would kill him, but made no promise to obey word from God.

v 17- 23. It was the same message, surrender and be saved, or resist and the city would be burned. Zedekiah feared peer pressure and mocking or harm from those already with the Chaldeans, but Jeremiah promised he would be protected. He added that he would be mocked as he sank in a miry pit in Babylon. His wives and children would be captives in Babylon, and it would be his fault that the city was burned.

v 24-28. Zedekiah did not obey, but gave Jeremiah an alibi, petition not to be put back in the dungeon, if officials found out about the meeting. They found out, but accepted the alibi. Jeremiah remained a prisoner in the courtyard until the city fell to Nebuchadnezzar.