¹ And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah^◦ the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah^◦, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah^◦ had spoken unto^▵ all the people, saying,

² Thus says Jehovah, He that dwells in this city shall·​·die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goes·​·forth to^▵ the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his soul for spoil, and shall live.

³ Thus says Jehovah, Being given this city shall be given into the hand of the host of the king of Babylon, who shall capture it.

⁴ And the princes said to the king, We pray^◦ thee, let this man^◦ be put·​·to·​·death; for thus^◦ he^◦ makes the hands of the men^◦ of war to be·​·slack who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking these words to^▵ them; for this man^◦ inquires not^◦ for the peace of^◦ this people, but^◦ for evil.

⁵ And Zedekiah^◦ the king said, Behold, he^◦ is in your hand; for there is no thing that the king is·​·able to do against you.

⁶ And they took Jeremiah^◦, and cast him into^▵ the pit of Malchiah^◦ the son of Hammelech^*, that was in the court of the prison^◦; and they sent Jeremiah^◦ down with cords. And in the pit there was no water, but mud: so Jeremiah^◦ sunk in the mud.

⁷ And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a man^◦ of the eunuchs who was in the house of the king, heard that they had put^◦ Jeremiah^◦ in^▵ the pit; and the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin.

⁸ And Ebedmelech went·​·out from the house of the king, 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 pit; and he will die instead from the faces of hunger; for there is no more^◦ bread in the city.

¹⁰ And the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take in thy hand from this place thirty men^◦, and bring·​·up Jeremiah^◦ the prophet from the pit, before^◦ he die.

¹¹ And Ebedmelech took the men^◦ in his hand, and came·​·into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence worn·​·out clothes and worn·​·out rags, and sent them down by cords into^▵ the pit to^▵ Jeremiah^◦.

¹² And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto^▵ Jeremiah^◦, Set now^◦ these worn·​·out clothes and rags under the joints of thy hands beneath the cords. And Jeremiah^◦ did so.

¹³ So they drew up Jeremiah^◦ with cords, and took him up out of the pit; and Jeremiah^◦ remained in the court of the prison.

¹⁴ And Zedekiah^◦ the king sent, and took Jeremiah^◦ the prophet to him into the third entryway^◦ that is in the house of Jehovah; and the king said to Jeremiah^◦, I^◦ will ask thee a word; conceal^◦ not a word from me.

¹⁵ And Jeremiah^◦ said to^▵ Zedekiah^◦, If I tell thee, wilt thou not cause me dying to·​·die? And if I counsel thee, thou wilt not hearken to^▵ me.

¹⁶ And Zedekiah^◦ the king promised in a hidden way unto Jeremiah^◦, saying, As Jehovah lives, who made us this soul, I will not put· thee ·to·​·death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men^◦ that seek thy soul.

¹⁷ And Jeremiah^◦ said to^▵ Zedekiah^◦, Thus says Jehovah, the God of Armies, the God of Israel: If going·​·out thou wilt go·​·out unto the princes of the king of Babylon, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned·​·up with fire; and thou shalt live, and thy house;

¹⁸ but if thou wilt not go·​·out to^▵ the princes of the king of Babylon, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn· her ·up with fire, and thou shalt not escape from their hand.

¹⁹ And Zedekiah^◦ the king said to^▵ Jeremiah^◦, I am·​·anxious because of the Jews who are fallen away to^▵ the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they abuse me.

²⁰ But Jeremiah^◦ said, They shall not give thee. Obey, I pray^◦ thee, the voice of Jehovah, which I^◦ speak to^▵ thee, and it shall be·​·well for thee, and thy soul shall live.

²¹ But if thou^◦ refuse to go·​·forth, this is the word that Jehovah has caused me to see:

²² and, behold, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah shall be brought·​·out to the princes of the king of Babylon, and those women shall say, The men^◦ of thy peace have incited thee, and have prevailed against thee; thy feet are sunk in the quagmire; they are turned·​·away backward.

²³ So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy sons to the Chaldeans; and thou shalt· not ·escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

²⁴ And Zedekiah^◦ said to^▵ Jeremiah^◦, Let not a man^◦ know of these words, and thou shalt· not ·die.

²⁵ But if the princes hear that I have spoken with thee, and they come to thee, and say to thee, Tell us now what thou hast spoken to the king, conceal^◦ it not from us, and we will not put· thee ·to·​·death; also what the king spoke to thee,

²⁶ and thou shalt say unto^▵ them, I caused my supplication^◦ to fall before the king, not^▵ to cause me to return to the house of Jonathan^◦, to die there.

²⁷ And all the princes came to^▵ Jeremiah^◦, and asked him; and he told them according·​·to all these words that the king had commanded. And they were·​·silent with him; for the word was not heard.

²⁸ And Jeremiah^◦ dwelt in the court of the prison^◦ until the day that Jerusalem was captured; and he was there when^▵ Jerusalem was captured.

¹ And king Zedekiah^◦ the son of Josiah^◦ was·​·king instead of Coniah^◦ the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made·​·king in the land of Judah.

² And neither he^◦, nor^◦ his servants, nor^◦ the people of the land, did hearken to^▵ the words of Jehovah, which He spoke by the hand of Jeremiah^◦ the prophet.

³ And Zedekiah^◦ the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah^◦, saying, Pray now^◦ to^▵ Jehovah our God for us.

⁴ And Jeremiah^◦ came·​·in and went·​·out in the midst of the people; and they had not put^◦ him into the prison house.

⁵ And the host of Pharaoh came·​·out from Egypt; and the Chaldeans who besieged Jerusalem heard a rumor of them, and they went·​·up from against Jerusalem.

⁶ And the word of Jehovah was unto^▵ the prophet Jeremiah^◦, saying,

⁷ Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say to^▵ the king of Judah, who sent you to^▵ Me to inquire of Me: Behold, the host of Pharaoh, which has come·​·out to help you, shall return to their own land Egypt.

⁸ And the Chaldeans shall return, and fight against this city, and take^◦ it, and burn· it ·up with fire.

⁹ Thus says Jehovah, Beguile not your souls, saying, The Chaldeans going^◦ shall go from upon us; for they shall not go.

¹⁰ For though you had smitten all the host of the Chaldeans that fight with^◦ you, and there were left among^◦ them men^▵ thrust·​·through, yet should they rise·​·up each·​·man^◦ in his tent, and burn·​·up this city with fire.

¹¹ And it was, when the host of the Chaldeans was made to go·​·up from Jerusalem, from the faces of the host of Pharaoh,

¹² that Jeremiah^◦ went·​·out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin^*, to part from thence in the midst of the people.

¹³ And he^◦ was in the gate of Benjamin, and a master of overseeing was there, and his name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid·​·hold of Jeremiah^◦ the prophet, saying, Thou^◦ fallest away to^▵ the Chaldeans.

¹⁴ And Jeremiah^◦ said, It is false; I fall not^◦ away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to^▵ him; and Irijah caught hold of Jeremiah^◦, and brought him to^▵ the princes.

¹⁵ And the princes were·​·enraged against Jeremiah^◦, and smote him, and put^◦ him into the house of bondage, the house of Jonathan^◦ the scribe; for they had made it into^◦ the prison house.

¹⁶ For Jeremiah^◦ came to^▵ the house of the pit, and to^▵ the camps^◦, and Jeremiah^◦ dwelt there many days;

¹⁷ and the king Zedekiah^◦ sent, and fetched him; and the king asked him in a hidden way in his house, and said, Is·​·there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah^◦ said, There·​·is. And he said, Into the hand of the king of Babylon thou shalt be given.

¹⁸ And Jeremiah^◦ said to^▵ king Zedekiah^◦, What have I sinned against^▵ thee, or^◦ against^▵ thy servants, or^◦ against^▵ this people, that you have put^◦ me into^▵ the prison house?

¹⁹ Where^◦ are your prophets who prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor^◦ against this land?

²⁰ And hear now, I pray^◦ thee, O my lord the king; let my supplication^◦, I pray^◦ thee, fall before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan^◦ the scribe, that I die not there.

²¹ And Zedekiah^◦ the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah^◦ into the court of the prison^◦, and give to him for the day a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers, until all the bread from the city was finished. And Jeremiah^◦ dwelt in the court of the prison^◦.