Jeremiah

Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashur son of Malchiah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people.

2Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

2He kept saying, "The LORD says: Anyone who stays in this city will die by sword, hunger, or disease. But anyone who goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians will live. He will escape with his life and nothing else."

Note"The Babylonians" translates "the Chaldeans," another name for the same people. "He shall have his life for a prey" means he will get out alive but lose everything else, the way a soldier carries off one small prize from a battle.

3Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.

3"The LORD also says: This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it."

4Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he 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.

4So the royal officials said to the king, "Please have this man put to death. His words make the soldiers left in the city lose heart, and the people too. He is not trying to help these people. He wants to harm them."

5Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

5King Zedekiah said, "He is in your hands. The king can do nothing to stop you."

6Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

6So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the pit that belonged to Malchiah, the king's son, in the guards' courtyard. They lowered him down with ropes. There was no water in the pit, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

NoteThe King James Version says "dungeon," but this was a cistern: a deep pit dug to hold rainwater. This one was empty except for thick mud at the bottom.

7Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;

7Ebedmelech the Cushite, an official in the king's palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put in the pit. At that time the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate.

NoteEbedmelech was a servant in the palace who had been made a eunuch, which was common for trusted royal officials. He came from Cush, a land south of Egypt, which the King James Version calls Ethiopia.

8Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying,

8Ebedmelech left the palace, went to the king, and said,

9My 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 in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

9"My lord the king, these men have done wrong in everything they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into the pit, where he will starve to death, because there is no bread left in the city."

10Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

10Then the king gave Ebedmelech an order: "Take thirty men with you and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the pit before he dies."

11So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

11So Ebedmelech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace below the storeroom. There he got old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them on ropes to Jeremiah in the pit.

12And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

12Ebedmelech called down to him, "Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes." Jeremiah did that.

13So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

13Then they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the pit. Jeremiah stayed in the guards' courtyard.

14Then 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.

14Later King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third entrance to the temple of the LORD. The king said, "I want to ask you something. Hide nothing from me."

15Then 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?

15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will surely put me to death. And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me."

16So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

16So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah: "As surely as the LORD lives, who gave us our life, I will not kill you. I will not hand you over to the men who want you dead."

17Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:

17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "The LORD God of Armies, the God of Israel, says this: If you go out and surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you will live. This city will not be burned, and you and your family will live.

18But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

18But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape them."

19And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have already gone over to the Babylonians. The Babylonians might hand me over to them, and they would treat me cruelly."

20But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.

20Jeremiah said, "They will not hand you over. Please obey the LORD in what I am telling you. Then things will go well for you, and you will live.

21But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:

21But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me.

22And, 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 have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

22All the women still left in the palace of Judah's king will be led out to the officers of the king of Babylon. Those women will say, 'Your trusted friends misled you and got the better of you. Your feet sank in the mud, and they walked away.'

23So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

23All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You will not escape them. The king of Babylon will take you prisoner, and this city will be burned down."

24Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone know about this talk, or you will die.

25But if 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:

25The officials may hear that I spoke with you. They may come and say, 'Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you. Hide nothing from us, or we will kill you.'

26Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.

26If they do, tell them, 'I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'"

27Then 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.

27All the officials did come and question Jeremiah. He told them exactly what the king had ordered him to say. So they stopped asking, because no one had overheard the talk.

28So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.

28Jeremiah stayed in the guards' courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured. He was still there when the city fell.