Jump to:
Jeremiah
Chapter
38
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 said the Jehovah/God, 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 said the Jehovah/God, 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 you, 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 seeks not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
{Zedekiah
won't Buck the Tiger}
5~~Then
Zedekiah the king said,
'Behold,
he {Jeremiah} is in your hand.
For
the king is not he that can do any thing against you."
6~~Therefore
the took Jeremiah,
and
cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech,
that
was in the court of the prison
{this is the dungeon under the court of the prison}.
And
they let down Jeremiah with ropes.
And
in the dungeon there was no water, but sewage.
So
Jeremiah kept sinking into the sewage.
7-9~~Now
when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian,
one
of the eunuchs 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
{holding court and judging that day} . . . 8~~
Ebedmelech
went forth out of the king's palace,
and
spoke to the king, saying, 9~~
My
lord {'adown} 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
and
there is no more bread in the city.
10~~Then
the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying,
"Take
from here 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 from there old cast clouts and old rotten rags,
and
let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12~~And
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah,
'Put
now these old cast clouts and rotten rags
under
your armholes under the ropes.
And
Jeremiah did so.'
13~~So
they drew up Jeremiah with ropes,
and
took him up out of the dungeon.
And
Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the Jehovah/God: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me.
15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, will you not hearken unto me?
16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Jehovah/God lives, that made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men that seek your life.
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus said the Jehovah/God, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If you will assuredly go forth unto 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 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 you, the voice of the Jehovah/God, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto you, and your soul shall live.
21 But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Jehovah/God 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, your friends have set you on, and have prevailed against thee: your feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
23 So 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 unto 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 unto you, and say unto you, Declare unto us now what you hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said unto thee:
26 Then you shall 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.
|
|
|
|
