Jeremiah 38:6–14

⁶So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.^*

Jeremiah Is Rescued by Ebed-melech

⁷Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate,^{* 8}So Ebed-melech left the king’s house and spoke to the king, ⁹“My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.”^{* 10}Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take three^z men with you from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies.” ¹¹So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe of^a the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. ¹²Then Ebed-melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Just put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. ¹³Then they drew Jeremiah up by the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.^*

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Again

¹⁴King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me.”^*