Jeremiah 38

1Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people, saying,Cross-references: 1Chr 9:12 · Ezra 2:3 · Neh 7:9 · Neh 11:12 · Jer 21:1 · Jer 37:3 · +3 more

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.’Cross-references: Jer 21:8 · Jer 24:8 · Jer 27:13 · Jer 29:18 · Jer 34:17 · Jer 38:17 · +11 more

3Yahweh says, ‘This city will surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’”Cross-references: Jer 21:10 · Jer 32:3

4Then 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 this man doesn’t seek the welfare of this people, but harm.”Cross-references: Ex 5:4 · 1Ki 18:17 · 1Ki 21:20 · 2Chr 24:21 · Ezra 4:12 · Neh 6:9 · +14 more

5Zedekiah the king said, “Behold, he is in your hand; for the king can’t do anything to oppose you.”Cross-references: 1Sam 15:24 · 1Sam 29:9 · 2Sam 3:39 · 2Sam 19:22 · Prov 29:25 · John 19:12

6Then 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.Cross-references: Gen 37:24 · Ps 40:2 · Ps 69:2 · Ps 69:14 · Ps 109:5 · Jer 36:26 · +10 more

7Now 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),Cross-references: Deut 21:19 · 2Ki 24:15 · Job 29:7 · Ps 68:31 · Jer 13:23 · Jer 29:2 · +9 more

8Ebedmelech 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.”Cross-references: Esth 7:4 · Job 31:34 · Prov 24:11 · Prov 31:8 · Jer 37:21 · Jer 52:6

10Then 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.”Cross-references: Esth 5:2 · Esth 8:7 · Ps 75:10 · Prov 21:1

11So Ebedmelech took the men with him, 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.

12Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these rags and worn-out garments under your armpits under the cords.” Jeremiah did so.Cross-references: Rom 12:10 · Rom 12:15 · Eph 4:32

13So they lifted Jeremiah up with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.Cross-references: 1Ki 22:27 · Jer 37:21 · Jer 38:6 · Jer 38:28 · Jer 39:14 · Acts 23:35 · +3 more

14Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to himself into the third entry that is in Yahweh’s house. Then the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”Cross-references: 1Sam 3:17 · 1Ki 10:5 · 1Ki 22:16 · 2Ki 16:18 · 2Chr 18:15 · Jer 21:1 · +3 more

15Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? If I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”Cross-references: Luke 22:67

16So 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.”Cross-references: Num 16:22 · Num 27:16 · Eccl 12:7 · Isa 42:5 · Isa 57:16 · Jer 34:20 · +5 more

17Then 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.Cross-references: 2Ki 24:12 · 1Chr 17:24 · Ezra 9:4 · Job 23:13 · Ps 80:7 · Ps 80:14 · +7 more

18But 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.’”Cross-references: 2Ki 24:12 · 2Ki 25:4 · 2Ki 25:27 · Jer 24:8 · Jer 32:3 · Jer 34:2 · +10 more

19Zedekiah 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.”Cross-references: Judg 9:54 · Judg 16:25 · 1Sam 15:24 · 1Sam 31:4 · Job 31:34 · Prov 29:25 · +8 more

20But 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.Cross-references: 2Chr 20:20 · Isa 55:3 · Jer 11:4 · Jer 26:13 · Dan 4:27 · Acts 26:29 · +5 more

21But if you refuse to go out, this is the word that Yahweh has shown me:Cross-references: Ex 10:3 · Ex 16:28 · Num 23:19 · Num 24:13 · Job 23:13 · Job 34:33 · +11 more

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.”Cross-references: Ps 41:9 · Ps 69:2 · Ps 69:14 · Isa 42:17 · Jer 6:12 · Jer 20:10 · +10 more

23They 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 the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned with fire.’”Cross-references: 2Ki 25:7 · 2Chr 36:20 · Jer 27:12 · Jer 38:18 · Jer 39:6 · Jer 41:10 · +3 more

24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you won’t die.

25But 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;’Cross-references: Jer 38:4 · Jer 38:27

26then 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.’”Cross-references: Esth 4:8 · Jer 37:15 · Jer 37:20 · Jer 42:2

27Then all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.Cross-references: 1Sam 10:15 · 1Sam 16:2 · 2Ki 6:19 · Acts 23:6

28So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.Cross-references: Ps 23:4 · Jer 15:20 · Jer 37:21 · Jer 38:13 · Jer 39:14 · 2Tim 3:11 · +1 more