Jeremiah 38:12 - Prayer Tents



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Jeremiah 38
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Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah in the Cistern

38Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people,H8203H1121H4977H1436H1121H6583H3116H1121H8018H6583H1121H4441H8085H1697H3414H1696H5971H5592Thus says the LORD, Those who stay in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but those who go out to the Chaldeans shall live; they shall have their lives as a prize of war, and live.H559H3068H3427H5892H4191H2719H7458H1698H3318H3778H2421H5315H7998H2421H24253Thus says the LORD, This city shall surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.H559H3068H5892H5414H5414H3027H4428H894H2428H39204Then the officials said to the king, "This man ought to be put to death, because he is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm."H8269H559H4428H376H4191H3651H7503H3027H582H4421H7604H5892H3027H5971H1696H1697H376H1875H7965H5971H74515King Zedekiah said, "Here he is; he is in your hands; for the king is powerless against you."H6667H4428H559H3027H4428H3201H16976So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.H3947H3414H7993H953H4441H1121H4428H2691H4307H7971H3414H2256H953H4325H2916H3414H2883H2916

Jeremiah Is Rescued by Ebed-melech

7Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. The king happened to be sitting at the Benjamin Gate,H5663H3569H376H5631H4428H1004H8085H5414H3414H953H4428H3427H8179H11448So Ebed-melech left the king's house and spoke to the king,H5663H3318H4428H1004H1696H4428H5599"My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern to die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city."H113H4428H582H7489H6213H3414H5030H7993H953H4191H6440H7458H8478H3899H589210Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, "Take three men with you from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the cistern before he dies."H4428H6680H5663H3569H559H3947H7970H582H3027H5927H3414H5030H953H419111So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe of the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes.H5663H3947H582H3027H935H1004H4428H214H3947H1094H5499H1094H4418H7971H2256H953H341412Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Just put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes." Jeremiah did so.H5663H3569H559H3414H7760H1094H5499H4418H679H3027H2256H3414H621313Then they drew Jeremiah up by the ropes and pulled him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.H4900H3414H2256H5927H953H3414H3427H2691H4307

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Again

14King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the LORD. The king said to Jeremiah, "I have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me."H6667H4428H7971H3947H3414H5030H7992H3996H1004H3068H4428H559H3414H7592H1697H358215Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will put me to death, will you not? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me."H3414H559H6667H5046H4191H4191H3289H808516So King Zedekiah swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, "As the LORD lives, who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these men who seek your life."H6667H4428H7650H5643H3414H559H3068H2416H6213H5315H4191H5414H3027H582H1245H531517Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.H559H3414H6667H559H3068H430H6635H430H3478H3318H3318H4428H894H8269H5315H2421H5892H8313H784H2421H100418But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand."H3318H4428H894H8269H5892H5414H3027H3778H8313H784H4422H302719King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over to them and they would abuse me."H6667H4428H559H3414H1672H3064H5307H3778H5414H3027H595320Jeremiah said, "That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the LORD in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be spared.H3414H559H5414H8085H6963H3068H1696H3190H5315H242121But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me—H3986H3318H1697H3068H720022a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying, 'Your trusted friends have seduced you and have overcome you; Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they desert you.'H802H7604H4428H3063H1004H3318H4428H894H8269H559H582H7965H5496H3201H7272H2883H1206H5472H26823All your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon; and this city shall be burned with fire."H3318H802H1121H3778H4422H3027H8610H3027H4428H894H5892H8313H78424Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone else know of this conversation, or you will die.H559H6667H3414H376H3045H1697H419125If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, 'Just tell us what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the king say to you?'H8269H8085H1696H935H559H5046H1696H4428H3582H4191H4428H169626then you shall say to them, 'I was presenting my plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.'"H559H5307H8467H6440H4428H7725H3083H1004H419127All the officials did come to Jeremiah and questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard.H935H8269H3414H7592H5046H1697H4428H6680H2790H1697H808528And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.H3414H3427H2691H4307H3117H3389H3920H3389H3920


New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. More details.
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