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.