Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah in a Dry Well

38Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard that I was telling the people thatH8203H1121H4977H1436H1121H6583H3116H1121H8018H6583H1121H4441H8085H1697H3414H1696H5971H5592the LORD had said, "Whoever stays on in the city will die in war or of starvation or disease. But those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will not be killed; they will at least escape with their life."H559H3068H3427H5892H4191H2719H7458H1698H3318H3778H2421H5315H7998H2421H24253I was also telling them that the LORD had said, "I am going to give the city to the Babylonian army, and they will capture it."H559H3068H5892H5414H5414H3027H4428H894H2428H39204Then the officials went to the king and said, "This man must be put to death. By talking like this he is making the soldiers in the city lose their courage, and he is doing the same thing to everyone else left in the city. He is not trying to help the people; he only wants to hurt them."H8269H559H4428H376H4191H3651H7503H3027H582H4421H7604H5892H3027H5971H1696H1697H376H1875H7965H5971H74515King Zedekiah answered, "Very well, then, do what you want to with him; I can't stop you."H6667H4428H559H3027H4428H3201H16976So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.H3947H3414H7993H953H4441H1121H4428H2691H4307H7971H3414H2256H953H4325H2916H3414H2883H29167However, Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate.H5663H3569H376H5631H4428H1004H8085H5414H3414H953H4428H3427H8179H11448So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king,H5663H3318H4428H1004H1696H4428H5599"Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city."H113H4428H582H7489H6213H3414H5030H7993H953H4191H6440H7458H8478H3899H589210Then the king ordered Ebedmelech to take with him three men and to pull me out of the well before I died.H4428H6680H5663H3569H559H3947H7970H582H3027H5927H3414H5030H953H419111So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes.H5663H3947H582H3027H935H1004H4428H214H3947H1094H5499H1094H4418H7971H2256H953H341412He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes wouldn't hurt me. I did this,H5663H3569H559H3414H7760H1094H5499H4418H679H3027H2256H3414H621313and they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard.H4900H3414H2256H5927H953H3414H3427H2691H4307

Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah’s Advice

14On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the Temple, and he said, "I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth."H6667H4428H7971H3947H3414H5030H7992H3996H1004H3068H4428H559H3414H7592H1697H358215I answered, "If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you won't pay any attention."H3414H559H6667H5046H4191H4191H3289H808516So King Zedekiah promised me in secret, "I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you."H6667H4428H7650H5643H3414H559H3068H2416H6213H5315H4191H5414H3027H582H1245H531517Then I told Zedekiah that the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, "If you surrender to the king of Babylonia's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared.H559H3414H6667H559H3068H430H6635H430H3478H3318H3318H4428H894H8269H5315H2421H5892H8313H784H2421H100418But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them."H3318H4428H894H8269H5892H5414H3027H3778H8313H784H4422H302719But the king answered, "I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured."H6667H4428H559H3414H1672H3064H5307H3778H5414H3027H595320I said, "You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey the LORD's message; then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared.H3414H559H5414H8085H6963H3068H1696H3190H5315H242121But the LORD has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender.H3986H3318H1697H3068H720022In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went: 'The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him.' "H802H7604H4428H3063H1004H3318H4428H894H8269H559H582H7965H5496H3201H7272H2883H1206H5472H26823Then I added, "All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia, and this city will be burned to the ground."H3318H802H1121H3778H4422H3027H8610H3027H4428H894H5892H8313H78424Zedekiah replied, "Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger.H559H6667H3414H376H3045H1697H419125If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything.H8269H8085H1696H935H559H5046H1696H4428H3582H4191H4428H169626Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there."H559H5307H8467H6440H4428H7725H3083H1004H419127Then all the officials came and questioned me, and I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation.H935H8269H3414H7592H5046H1697H4428H6680H2790H1697H808528And I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.H3414H3427H2691H4307H3117H3389H3920H3389H3920