ThenShephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the wordsthatJeremiah had spokenunto all the people, saying,
Thussaith the LORD, He thatremaineth in thiscityshall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he thatgoethforth to the Chaldeansshalllive; for he shallhave his life for a prey, and shalllive.
Therefore the princessaidunto the king, We beseechthee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war thatremain in thiscity, and the hands of all the people, in speakingsuchwordsuntothem: for this man seeketh not the welfare of thispeople, but the hurt.
ThentooktheyJeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let downJeremiahwithcords. And in the dungeonthere was no water, but mire: so Jeremiahsunk in the mire.
Now whenEbedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchswhich was in the king’shouse, heardthatthey had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the kingthensitting in the gate of Benjamin;
My lord the king, these men havedoneevil in all thattheyhavedone to Jeremiah the prophet, whomtheyhavecastinto the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the placewhere he is: for there is no morebread in the city.
Then the kingcommandedEbedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Takefromhencethirty men withthee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
So Ebedmelechtook the men with him, and wentinto the house of the kingunder the treasury, and tookthence old castclouts and old rottenrags, and let themdown by cordsinto the dungeon to Jeremiah.
ThenZedekiah the kingsent, and tookJeremiah the prophetunto him into the thirdentrythat is in the house of the LORD: and the kingsaiduntoJeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hidenothingfrom me.
So Zedekiah the kingswaresecretlyuntoJeremiah, saying, As the LORDliveth, thatmade us thissoul, I will not put thee to death, neitherwill I givetheeinto the hand of these men thatseek thy life.
ThensaidJeremiahuntoZedekiah, Thussaith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thouwiltassuredly go forthunto the king of Babylon’sprinces, then thy soulshalllive, and thiscityshall not be burnedwithfire; and thoushaltlive, and thinehouse:
But if thouwilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’sprinces, thenshallthiscity be giveninto the hand of the Chaldeans, and theyshallburn it withfire, and thoushalt not escape out of theirhand.
But Jeremiahsaid, Theyshall not deliverthee. Obey, I beseechthee, the voice of the LORD, which I speakuntothee: so it shall be welluntothee, and thy soulshalllive.
And, behold, all the womenthat are left in the king of Judah’shouseshall be broughtforth to the king of Babylon’sprinces, and thosewomenshall say, Thy friendshave set thee on, and haveprevailedagainstthee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turnedawayback.
So theyshallbring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thoushalt not escape out of theirhand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thoushaltcausethiscity to be burnedwithfire.
But if the princeshearthat I havetalkedwiththee, and theycomeuntothee, and say untothee, Declareunto us now whatthouhastsaidunto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; alsowhat the kingsaiduntothee:
Thencame all the princesuntoJeremiah, and asked him: and he toldthemaccording to all thesewordsthat the king had commanded. So theyleft off speakingwith him; for the matter was not perceived.