Jeremiah

Condemned to Death and Set Free

Shephatiah son of Mattan; Gedaliah son of Pashhur; Jucal, son of Shelemiah; and Pahhur, son of Malchiah, heard what Jeremiah said publicly

in the Name of the Lord: “Anyone who stays in the city will perish by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will survive although he may lose everything.

For the Lord has spoken: I have handed over this city to the king of Babylon and he will take it.”

Then the officials told the king, “This man should be put to death because he is weakening the will of the fighting men and the people remaining in the city. In fact, he is not trying to save the people but to do harm.”

King Zedekiah said: “His life is in your hands, for the king has no power against you.”

So they took Jeremiah and pushed him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, in the guard’s court. They lowered him by ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian official in the king’s household, heard that Jeremiah had been lowered into the cistern.

While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate, Ebed-Melech approached and addressed him:

“My lord king! These men have acted wickedly in all they did to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into the cistern, where he will die.”

So the king ordered Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian: “Take three men with you from here and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

Ebed-Melech took the men with him and entered the king’s house under the treasury. There, he got pieces of rags and old clothes, which he lowered using ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.

Ebed-Melech said to Jeremiah: “Put the pieces of rags and old clothes under your armpits, over the ropes.” Jeremiah did as advised.

Then Jeremiah was pulled up from the cistern using the ropes and taken to the guard’s court to stay there.

Last Encounter14King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and met him at the third entrance of the Lord’s house. There, he said to him: “I am going to ask you a question; hide nothing from me!” Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah:

“If I tell you something, won’t you put me to death? And if I advise you, will you listen to me?”

Zedekiah secretly swore to Jeremiah: “As the Lord lives, who gave us life, I will not have you killed, and I will not hand you over to those who want to kill you.”

Jeremiah then said to the king: “This is what the Lord God of Hosts and God of Israel says: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you will survive, and the city will not be destroyed. You and your household will live.

But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon, this very city will be handed over to the Chaldeans, and they will set it on fire. For your part, you will not escape.”

King Zedekiah told Jeremiah: “I am afraid of the people of Judah who have surrendered to the Chaldeans. I fear the Chaldeans will hand me over to them, and they will mistreat me.”

Jeremiah said: “They will not hand you over. Listen to what the Lord says to you through me; it will be well with you, and you will live.

But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has shown me:

All the women left in your palace will be handed over to the officers of the king of Babylon and will sing this song: ‘Your friends have deceived and overcome you. When your feet have sunk into the mud, they turn away from you!’

All your wives and children will be led out to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from them. You will be captured by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down!”

Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah: “Let no one find out about this conversation, or you could die.

If the officials hear I spoke with you, and they come to ask what we discussed, even if they threaten you,

you will say to them: I just made a petition to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die.”

All the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. He replied exactly as the king had instructed him, and they said no more since no one overheard the conversation.

Jeremiah then remained in the guard’s court until Jerusalem was captured.