38 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and aJucal the son of Shelemiah, and bPashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken cunto all the people, saying, 2 Thus saith the Lord, dHe that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: dbut 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, eThis city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, fwhich shall take it. 4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, glet this man be put to death: for thus hhe 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 ithe king is not he that can do any thing against you. 6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into kthe dungeon of Malchiah the son ||of Hammelech, that was lin the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And min the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah nsunk in the mire.

7 Now when oEbed-melech pthe Ethiopian, one of qthe eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting rin the gate of Benjamin; 8 oEbed-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 sin the place where he is: for tthere is no more bread in the city. 10 Then the king commanded oEbed-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 oEbed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast uclouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 And oEbed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine varmholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah wwith 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 xsecretly unto Jeremiah, saying, yAs the Lord liveth, zthat made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of athese 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 bgo forth cunto the king of Babylon’s princes, then dthy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: 18 But bif thou wilt not go forth cto the king of Babylon’s princes, then eshall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, eand they shall burn it with fire, and fthou shalt not escape out of their hand. 19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews gthat are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they hmock me. 20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. dObey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, which I speak unto thee: so iit shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live. 21 But if thou refuse bto 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 khave set thee on, and lhave prevailed against thee: thy feet mare sunk in the mire, and nthey are turned away back. 23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and othy children to the Chaldeans: and fthou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and †ethou 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 pif 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, qI presented my supplication before the king, that rhe 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 sSo Jeremiah abode tin the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.