The Babylonians Withdraw to Meet a Threat from Egypt

37 And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had made king, reigned as king in the land of Judah in place of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet. 3 And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, ⌊saying⌋,a “Please pray for us to Yahweh our God.” 4 Now Jeremiah was coming and going out in the midst of the people and they had not put him in the house of imprisonment. 5 And the army of Pharaoh had come out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans, who were laying siege to Jerusalem, heard their report and they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, ⌊saying⌋,b 7 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘This is what you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire of me, “Look, the army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, is going to return to his land Egypt. 8 And the Chaldeans will return, and they will fight against this city, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire.” ’ 9 Thus says Yahweh: ‘You must not deceive yourselves, ⌊saying⌋,c “Surely the Chaldeans will go from us,” for they will not go. 10 For even if you struck the whole army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and only men pierced through remained among them, each one in his tent, they would rise up and they would burn this city with fire.’ ”

Jeremiah is Arrested and Put in Prison

11 ⌊And then⌋,d at the withdrawing of the army of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem ⌊before⌋e the army of Pharaoh, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive a portion from there in the midst of the people. 13 ⌊And when⌋f he was at the Gate of Benjamin, there was ⌊a sentry on duty⌋g whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, ⌊saying⌋,h “You are deserting to the Chaldeans!” 14 And Jeremiah said, “That is a lie! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But he would not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him in ⌊prison⌋,i in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the ⌊prison⌋j. 16 So Jeremiah came to the ⌊dungeon⌋k, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.

17 Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, “Is there a word from Yahweh?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” And he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

18 Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in ⌊prison⌋?l 19 And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, ⌊saying⌋,m ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now hear please, my lord the king, please let my plea fall ⌊before you⌋.n You must not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, so that I will not die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah commanded, and they handed Jeremiah over in the courtyard of the guard, and they gave to him a round loaf of bread from the street of the bakers ⌊every day⌋o until the finishing of all the bread from the city. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

Jeremiah is Thrown into the Pit of Malchiah

38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people, ⌊saying⌋,a 2 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘The one who stays in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague. But the one who goes out to the Chaldeans will live. And his life will be for him as booty, and he will live.’ 3 Thus says Yahweh, ‘Surely this city will be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’ ”

4 Then the officials said to the king, “Please, this man must be killed, ⌊because⌋b he is making slack the hands of ⌊the soldiers⌋c who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them words like these, for this man is not seeking for welfared to this people, ⌊but only⌋e for harm.” 5 And Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand, for the king is not able to do a thing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the pitf of Malchiah, the son of the king, which was in the courtyard of the guard. And they let Jeremiah down by ropes. Now in the pitg there was no water,h ⌊but only⌋i mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

7 When Ebed-melech the Cushite, ⌊a eunuch⌋j who was in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the pitk—now the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin— 8 Ebed-melech went out from the house of the king and spoke to the king, ⌊saying⌋,l 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, in that they have thrown him into the pit,m and he will die ⌊there⌋n ⌊because of⌋o starvation, for there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, ⌊saying⌋,p “Take ⌊with you⌋q these thirty men and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the pitr ⌊before⌋s he dies.”

11 So Ebed-melech took the men ⌊with him⌋t and went to the palace of the king, to a place beneath the storehouse, and he took from there ⌊rags⌋u and ⌊worn-out clothes⌋.v And he let them down into the pitw by ropes to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Please put ⌊the rags⌋x and ⌊worn-out clothes⌋y under the joints of your arms under the ropes,” and Jeremiah did so. 13 And they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes and brought him up from the pit.z And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

14 And Zedekiah the king sent and made someone bring Jeremiah the prophet to him, to the third entrance that was at the ⌊temple⌋a of Yahweh. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I am asking you ⌊something⌋,b you must not hide ⌊anything⌋c from me.” 15 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely kill me? ⌊Besides⌋,d if I advise you, you will not listen to me. 16 So Zedekiah the king swore to Jeremiah in secret, ⌊saying⌋,e “⌊As Yahweh lives⌋,f who has made for us this life, I will not kill you and I will not give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your life.”

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If only you will go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then ⌊you⌋g will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house. 18 But if you do not go surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hand.’ ”

19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand and they abuse me.” 20 And Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please obey the voice of Yahweh with regard to what I am saying to you, and it will go well with you, and ⌊you⌋h will live. 21 But if you are refusing to surrender, this is the thing that Yahweh has shown me. 22 Now look, all the women who remain in the house of the king of Judah are being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon. And look, they are saying,

‘⌊Your trusted friends⌋i have misled you,

and they have prevailed against you.

Your feet are stuck in the mud,

so they turned backward.’

23 And all your wives and your children will be led out to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from their hand, but by the hand of the king of Babylon you will be seized, and this city will burn with fire.”

24 And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “No man must know about these words so that you will not die. 25 And if the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Please tell us what you said to the king. You must not conceal it from us so that we will not kill you. And what did the king say to you?’ 26 Then you shall say to them, ‘I was presenting my plea ⌊before⌋j the king, to not cause me to return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’ ” 27 And all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, and he informed them like all these words that the king commanded. So they fell silent, for the ⌊conversation⌋k was not heard. 28 And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured. And it happened that Jerusalem was captured.l

The Fall of Jerusalem

39 In the ninth year of Zedekiah, the king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was taken by assault. 3 And all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the chief officer, Nergal-sharezer the high official, with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. 4 ⌊And then⌋a ⌊when⌋b Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all ⌊the soldiers⌋c with him, they fled and went out at night from the city by the way of the garden of the king through the gate between the walls. And they went out toward the Jordan Valley. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And he pronounced ⌊sentence⌋d on him. 6 And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 Then he blinded