Jeremiah 38:12 - Prayer Tents

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah is Arrested and Imprisoned

38Mattan's son Shephatiah, Pashur's son Gedaliah, Shelemiah's son Jucal, and Malchijah's son Pashhur heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people:H8203H1121H4977H1436H1121H6583H3116H1121H8018H6583H1121H4441H8085H1697H3414H1696H5971H5592"This is what the Lord says: 'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague, but the one who goes over to the Chaldeans will live. His life will be spared, and he will live.'H559H3068H3427H5892H4191H2719H7458H1698H3318H3778H2421H5315H7998H2421H24253"This is what the Lord says: 'This city will surely be given to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.'"H559H3068H5892H5414H5414H3027H4428H894H2428H39204Then the officials said to the king, "Let this man be put to death because he's undermining the efforts of the soldiers who remain in this city and that of all the people by speaking words like these to them. Indeed, this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm."H8269H559H4428H376H4191H3651H7503H3027H582H4421H7604H5892H3027H5971H1696H1697H376H1875H7965H5971H74515King Zedekiah said, "Look, he's in your hands, and the king can do nothing to you."H6667H4428H559H3027H4428H3201H16976So they threw Jeremiah into a cistern that belonged to the king's son Malchijah and was located in the courtyard of the guard. When they let Jeremiah down with ropes, because there was no water in the cistern - only mud - Jeremiah sank into the mud.H3947H3414H7993H953H4441H1121H4428H2691H4307H7971H3414H2256H953H4325H2916H3414H2883H2916

Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern

7Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch in the king's house, heard that Jeremiah had been put in the cistern. The king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,H5663H3569H376H5631H4428H1004H8085H5414H3414H953H4428H3427H8179H11448so Ebed-melech went out of the palace and spoke to the king:H5663H3318H4428H1004H1696H4428H5599"Your majesty, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into the cistern. He will die where he is because of the famine since there is no more bread in the city."H113H4428H582H7489H6213H3414H5030H7993H953H4191H6440H7458H8478H3899H589210Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: "Thirty men are at your disposal. Take them with you and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies."H4428H6680H5663H3569H559H3947H7970H582H3027H5927H3414H5030H953H419111So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the palace, underneath the storeroom. He took worn out rags and worn out clothes from there, and using ropes he lowered them down to Jeremiah in the cistern.H5663H3947H582H3027H935H1004H4428H214H3947H1094H5499H1094H4418H7971H2256H953H341412Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, "Put the worn out rags and clothes under your armpits under the ropes," and Jeremiah did as he said.H5663H3569H559H3414H7760H1094H5499H4418H679H3027H2256H3414H621313They pulled Jeremiah with the ropes and brought him up from the cistern, but Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.H4900H3414H2256H5927H953H3414H3427H2691H4307

Zedekiah Again Seeks Advice from Jeremiah

14King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to him at the third entrance to the LORD's temple. The king said to Jeremiah, "I'm going to ask you something, and don't hide anything from me."H6667H4428H7971H3947H3414H5030H7992H3996H1004H3068H4428H559H3414H7592H1697H358215Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "When I tell you, you will surely put me to death, won't you?And when I give you advice, you don't listen to me."H3414H559H6667H5046H4191H4191H3289H808516Then King Zedekiah, in secret, swore an oath to Jeremiah: "As surely as the Lord lives, who gave us this life to live, I won't have you put to death, nor will I hand you over to these men who are seeking to kill you."H6667H4428H7650H5643H3414H559H3068H2416H6213H5315H4191H5414H3027H582H1245H531517So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'If you will immediately surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, and this city won't be burned with fire. Both you and your family will live.H559H3414H6667H559H3068H430H6635H430H3478H3318H3318H4428H894H8269H5315H2421H5892H8313H784H2421H100418But if you don't surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Chaldeans, and they'll burn it with fire. You won't escape from their hands.'"H3318H4428H894H8269H5892H5414H3027H3778H8313H784H4422H302719Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I'm afraid of the Judeans who have gone over to the Chaldeans. The Chaldeans may turn me over to them, and they may treat me harshly."H6667H4428H559H3414H1672H3064H5307H3778H5414H3027H595320Jeremiah said, "They won't turn you over. Obey the Lord in what I'm telling you, and it will go well for you and you will live.H3414H559H5414H8085H6963H3068H1696H3190H5315H242121But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has shown me:H3986H3318H1697H3068H720022Look, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon, and will say, 'These friends of yours have mislead you and overcome you. Your feet have sunk down into the mire, but they have turned away.'H802H7604H4428H3063H1004H3318H4428H894H8269H559H582H7965H5496H3201H7272H2883H1206H5472H26823"They'll bring all your women and children out to the Chaldeans, and you won't escape from their hand. Indeed, you will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire."H3318H802H1121H3778H4422H3027H8610H3027H4428H894H5892H8313H78424Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone know about these words and you won't die.H559H6667H3414H376H3045H1697H419125If the officials hear that I've spoken with you, and they come to you and say, 'Tell us what you said to the king, and what the king said to you; don't hide it from us, and we won't put you to death,'H8269H8085H1696H935H559H5046H1696H4428H3582H4191H4428H169626then you are to say to them, 'I was presenting my request to the king that I not be taken back to the house of Jonathan to die there.'"H559H5307H8467H6440H4428H7725H3083H1004H419127When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he replied to them exactly as the king had ordered him. So they stopped speaking with him because the conversation had not been overheard.H935H8269H3414H7592H5046H1697H4428H6680H2790H1697H808528Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.H3414H3427H2691H4307H3117H3389H3920H3389H3920