Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern

1Then Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal† son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying: 2“Thus says YHWH: He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, and the one going forth to the Chaldeans† will live, and his life will be to him for a prey, and he will live. 3Thus says YHWH: “This city is surely given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”

4And the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for by this he is weakening the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them these words. For this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but only the harm.

5And the king Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your⁺ hands; for there is not a thing the king can do against you⁺.

6And they took Jeremiah and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king that was in the court of the guard. And they sent down Jeremiah with the ropes. And in the cistern there was not water, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

7And Ebed-melech the Cushite,† a eunuch† who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—and the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin— 8and Ebed-melech went forth from the house of the king, and he spoke to the king, saying: 9“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the cistern; and he is likely to die from hunger in his place, for there is no more bread in the city.

10And the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying: “Take with you from this place thirty men and lift Jeremiah the prophet out the pit before he dies.

11And Ebed-melech took the men with him, and he went into the house of the king under the treasury, and he took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by cords into the cistern to Jeremiah.

12And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah: “Please put worn-out clothes and rags under the joints of your arms, under the cords.” And Jeremiah did so. 13And they drew up Jeremiah with the cords, and they lifted him from the cistern; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

14And the king Zedekiah sent, and he took Jeremiah the prophet to him at the third entrance of the house of YHWH; and the king said to Jeremiah: “I am going to ask you a thing; do not hide from me a thing.”

15And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I should advise you, you will not listen to me.”

16And the king Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret, saying, “As YHWH lives, who made for us this soul, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your soul!

17And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah: “Thus says YHWH, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you will surely go forth to the princes of the king of Babylon, then your soul will live and this city will not be burned with fire; and you will live—you and your house. 18And if you do not go forth to the princes 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 hands!’”

19And the king Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: “I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they heap abuse on me.

20And Jeremiah said: “They will not give!” Hear now the voice of YHWH, which I am going to speak to you, that it may go well with you and your soul may live. 21If you refuse to go out, this is the word that YHWH has shown me. 22And behold, all the women who are remaining in the house of the king of Judah are being brought out to the princes of the king of Babylon, and they will say,

‘They have deceived you and prevailed against you—

men of your well-being;

your feet have sunk in the mire;

they have turned the back.’

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

24And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: “Let no man know of these words, and you will not die. 25And when the princes hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare now to us what you have said to the king—do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death—and what the king said to you:’ 26And you shall say to them ‘I caused my supplication to fall before the king, that he would not make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

27And all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him, and he declared to them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the matter had not been heard. 28And Jeremiah dwelt in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured. And he was there when Jerusalem was captured.