The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Jeremiah 38
1 Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah
the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of
Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of
Malchijah heard the words thatJeremiah spoke to
all the people, saying,
2 “Yahweh says, ‘He who remains in this
city will die by the sword, by the famine,
and by the pestilence, but he who goes out
to the Chaldeans will live. He will escape
with his life and he will live.’
3 Yahweh says, ‘This city will surely be
given into the hand of the army of the king
of Babylon, and he will take it.’ ”
4 Then the princes said to the king,
“Please let this man be put to death,
because he weakens the hands of the men of
war who remain in this city, and the hands
of all the people, in speaking such words to
them;for thismandoesn’t seek the welfare
of this people, but harm.”
5 Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in
yourhand;for the king can’tdo anything to
oppose you.”
6 Then they took Jeremiah and threw
him into the dungeon of Malchijah the
king’s son, that was in the court of the
guard. They let down Jeremiah with cords.
In the dungeon there was no water, but
mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.
7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian,
a eunuch, who was in the king’s house,
heard that they had put Jeremiah in the
dungeon (the king was then sitting in Benjamin’s gate),
8 Ebedmelech went out of the king’s
house, and 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
dungeon. He is likely to die in the place
where he is, because of the famine; for
there is no more bread in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the
Ethiopian, saying, “Take from
here thirty men with you, and take up
Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon,
before he dies.”
11 SoEbedmelechtook themen withhim,
and went into the house of the king under
the treasury, and took from there rags and
worn-out garments, and let them down by
cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to
Jeremiah, “Now put these rags and wornout
garments under your armpits under
the cords.” Jeremiah did so.
13 So they lifted Jeremiah up with the
cords, and took him up out ofthe dungeon;
and Jeremiah remained in the court of the
guard.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and took
Jeremiah the prophet to himself into the
third entry thatis in Yahweh’s house. Then
the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you
something. Hide nothing from me.”
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I
declare itto you, will you not surely
put me to death? If I give you counsel, you will not
listen to me.”
16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to
Jeremiah, saying, “As Yahweh lives, who
made our souls, I will not put you to death,
neither will I give you into the hand of
these men who seek your life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,
“Yahweh, the God of Armies, the God of Israel,
says: ‘If you will go out to the king of
Babylon’s princes, then your soul will live,
and this city will not be burned with fire.
You will live, along with your house.
18 But if you will not go out to the king
of Babylon’s princes, then this city will be
given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and
they will burn it with fire, and you won’t
escape out of their hand.
19 Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I
am afraid of the Jews who have defected
to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into
their hand, and they mock me.
20 But Jeremiah said, “They won’t deliver
you. Obey, I beg you, Yahweh’s voice, in
that which I speak to you; so it will be well
with you, and your soul will live.
21 But if you refuse to go out, this is the
word that Yahweh has shown me:
22 ‘Behold, all the women who are left in
the king of Judah’s house will be brought
out to the king of Babylon’s princes, and
those women will say, “Your familiar friends
have turned on you, and have prevailed over you.
Your feet are sunk in the mire,
they have turned away from you.”
23 They will bring out all your wives and
your children to the Chaldeans. You won’t
escape out of their hand, but will be taken
by thehand ofthe king ofBabylon. You will
cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let
no man know of these words, and you
won’t die.
25 But if the princes hear that I have
talked with you, and they come to you, and
tell you, ‘Declare to us now what you have
said to the king; don’t hide it from us, and
we will not put you to death; also tell us
what the king said to you;’
26 then you shall tell them, ‘I presented
my supplication before the king, that he
would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s
house, to die there.’
27 Then all the princes came to Jeremiah,
and askedhim; andhe told themaccording
to all these words that the king had commanded.
So they stopped speaking with
him, for the matter was not perceived.
28 So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the
guard until the day that Jerusalem was
taken.