38Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard the words Jeremiah was speaking to all the people:H8203H1121H4977H1436H1121H6583H3116H1121H8018H6583H1121H4441H8085H1697H3414H1696H5971H5592"This is what the LORD says: 'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live. He will keep his life like the spoils [of war] and will live.'H559H3068H3427H5892H4191H2719H7458H1698H3318H3778H2421H5315H7998H2421H24253This is what the LORD says: 'This city will most certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon's army, and he will capture it.'"H559H3068H5892H5414H5414H3027H4428H894H2428H39204The officials then said to the king, "This man ought to die, because he is weakening the morale of the warriors who remain in this city and of all the people by speaking to them in this way. This man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but disaster."H8269H559H4428H376H4191H3651H7503H3027H582H4421H7604H5892H3027H5971H1696H1697H376H1875H7965H5971H74515King Zedekiah said, "Here he is; he's in your hands since the king can't do anything against you."H6667H4428H559H3027H4428H3201H16976So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king's son, which was in the guard's courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.H3947H3414H7993H953H4441H1121H4428H2691H4307H7971H3414H2256H953H4325H2916H3414H2883H29167But Ebed-melech, a Cushite court official employed in the king's palace, heard Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,H5663H3569H376H5631H4428H1004H8085H5414H3414H953H4428H3427H8179H11448Ebed-melech went from the king's palace and spoke to the king:H5663H3318H4428H1004H1696H4428H5599"My lord king, these men have been evil in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern where he will die from hunger, because there is no more bread in the city."H113H4428H582H7489H6213H3414H5030H7993H953H4191H6440H7458H8478H3899H589210So the king commanded Ebed-melech, the Cushite, "Take from here 30 men under your authority and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the cistern before he dies."H4428H6680H5663H3569H559H3947H7970H582H3027H5927H3414H5030H953H419111So Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went to the king's palace to a place below the storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.H5663H3947H582H3027H935H1004H4428H214H3947H1094H5499H1094H4418H7971H2256H953H341412Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, "Place these old rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes." Jeremiah did so,H5663H3569H559H3414H7760H1094H5499H4418H679H3027H2256H3414H621313and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, but he continued to stay in the guard's courtyard.H4900H3414H2256H5927H953H3414H3427H2691H430714King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the LORD's temple. The king said to Jeremiah, "I am going to ask you something; don't hide anything from me."H6667H4428H7971H3947H3414H5030H7992H3996H1004H3068H4428H559H3414H7592H1697H358215Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, you will kill me, won't you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won't listen to me anyway."H3414H559H6667H5046H4191H4191H3289H808516King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private, "As the LORD lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life."H6667H4428H7650H5643H3414H559H3068H2416H6213H5315H4191H5414H3027H582H1245H531517Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, "This is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.H559H3414H6667H559H3068H430H6635H430H3478H3318H3318H4428H894H8269H5315H2421H5892H8313H784H2421H100418But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.'"H3318H4428H894H8269H5892H5414H3027H3778H8313H784H4422H302719But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to them to abuse me."H6667H4428H559H3414H1672H3064H5307H3778H5414H3027H595320"They will not hand you over," Jeremiah replied. "Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live.H3414H559H5414H8085H6963H3068H1696H3190H5315H242121But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict that the LORD has shown me:H3986H3318H1697H3068H720022'All the women who remain in the palace of Judah's king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say: Your trusted friends misled you and overcame you. Your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.H802H7604H4428H3063H1004H3318H4428H894H8269H559H582H7965H5496H3201H7272H2883H1206H5472H26823All your wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans. You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn down.'"H3318H802H1121H3778H4422H3027H8610H3027H4428H894H5892H8313H78424Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone know about these things or you will die.H559H6667H3414H376H3045H1697H419125If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come and demand of you, 'Tell us what you said to the king; don't hide anything from us and we won't kill you. Also, what did the king say to you?'H8269H8085H1696H935H559H5046H1696H4428H3582H4191H4428H169626then you will tell them, 'I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.'"H559H5307H8467H6440H4428H7725H3083H1004H419127When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because nothing had been heard.H935H8269H3414H7592H5046H1697H4428H6680H2790H1697H808528Jeremiah remained in the guard's courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and he was [there] when it happened.H3414H3427H2691H4307H3117H3389H3920H3389H3920
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