CLV(i)
1 And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying,
2 `Thus said Yahweh:He who is remaining in this city dies, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans lives, and his soul has been to him for a prey, and he lives."
3 Thus said Yahweh:This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he has captured it.'"
4 And the heads say unto the king, `Let, we pray you, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.'"
5 And the king Zedekiah said, `Lo, he [is] in your hand:for the king is not able for you [in] anything.'"
6 And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that [is] in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinks in the mire."
7 And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who [is] in the king's house, hears that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin,
8 and Ebed-Melech goes forth from the king's house, and speaks unto the king, saying,
9 `My lord, O 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 dies in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.'"
10 And the king commands Ebed-Melech the Cushite, saying, `Take with you from this thirty men, and you have brought up Jeremiah the prophet from the pit, before he dies.'"
11 And Ebed-Melech takes the men with him, and enters the house of the king, unto the place of the treasury, and takes thence worn-out clouts, and worn-out rags, and sends them unto Jeremiah unto the pit by cords."
12 And Ebed-Melech the Cushite said unto Jeremiah, `Put, I pray you, the worn-out clouts and rags under your arm-holes, at the place of the cords,' and Jeremiah does so,
13 and they draw out Jeremiah with cords, and bring him up out of the pit, and Jeremiah dwells in the court of the prison."
14 And the king Zedekiah sends, and takes Jeremiah the prophet unto him, unto the third entrance that [is] in the house of Yahweh, and the king said unto Jeremiah, `I am asking you a thing, do not hide from me anything.'"
15 And Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, `When I declare to you, do you not surely put me to death? and when I counsel you, you do not hearken unto me.'"
16 And the king Zedekiah swears unto Jeremiah in secret, saying, `Yahweh lives, He who made for us this soul, I do not put you to death, nor give you unto the hand of these men who are seeking your soul.'"
17 And Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, `Thus said Yahweh, Elohim of Hosts, Elohim of Israel:If you do certainly go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then has your soul lived, and this city is not burned with fire, yea, you have lived, you and your house."
18 And if you do not go forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, then has this city been given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they have burnt it with fire, and you do not escape from their hand.'"
19 And the king Zedekiah said unto Jeremiah, `I am fearing the Jews who have fallen unto the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand, and they have insulted me.'"
20 And Jeremiah said, `They do not give you up; hearken, I pray you, to the voice of Yahweh, to that which I am speaking unto you, and it is well for you, and your soul does live."
21 `And if you are refusing to go forth, this [is] the thing that Yahweh has shown me:"
22 That, lo, all the women who have been left in the house of the king of Judah are brought forth unto the heads of the king of Babylon, and lo, they are saying:Persuaded you, and prevailed against you, Have your allies, Sunk into mire have your feet, They have been turned backward."
23 `And all your wives, and your sons, are brought forth unto the Chaldeans, and you do not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon you are caught, and this city is burnt with fire.'"
24 And Zedekiah said unto Jeremiah, `Let no man know of these words, and you do not die;"
25 and when the heads hear that I have spoken with you, and they have come in unto you, and have said unto you, Declare to us, we pray you, what you did speak unto the king, do not hide [it] from us, and we do not put you to death, and what the king spoke unto you,
26 then you have said unto them, I am causing 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 heads come in unto Jeremiah, and ask him, and he declares to them according to all these words that the king commanded, and they keep silent from him, for the matter was not heard;"
28 and Jeremiah dwells in the court of the prison till the day that Jerusalem has been captured, and he was [there] when Jerusalem was captured."