⁹ “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of ^(A)hunger, ^(B)for there is no bread left in the city.”

⁶ On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

²¹ So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to ^(A)the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, ^(B)until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in ^(C)the court of the guard.

Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern

38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, ^(D)Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and ^(E)Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: ² “Thus says the Lord: ^(F)He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, ^(G)but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. ³ Thus says the Lord: ^(H)This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” ⁴ Then the officials said to the king, ^(I)“Let this man be put to death, ^(J)for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking ^(K)the welfare of this people, but their harm.” ⁵ King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, ^(L)for the king can do nothing against you.” ⁶ So they took Jeremiah ^(M)and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in ^(N)the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down ^(O)by ropes. ^(P)And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and ^(Q)Jeremiah sank in the mud.

^4 (A)For we have been sold, I and my people, ^(B)to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” ⁵ Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared^[a] to do this?” ⁶ And Esther said, ^(C)“A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.