Jeremiah 38:1–9

¹And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying, ²‘Thus said Jehovah: He who is remaining in this city dieth, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans liveth, and his soul hath been to him for a prey, and he liveth. ³Thus said Jehovah: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he hath captured it.’ ⁴And the heads say unto the king, ‘Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.’ ⁵And the king Zedekiah saith, ‘Lo, he is in your hand: for the king is not able for you in anything.’ ⁶And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that is in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire. ⁷And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who is in the king’s house, heareth that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin, ⁸and Ebed-Melech goeth forth from the king’s house, and speaketh unto the king, saying, ⁹‘My lord, O king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dieth in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.’