Jeremiah 38:4-13

English Standard Version

⁴Then the officials said to the king, ^(A)“Let this man be put to death, ^(B)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 ^(C)the welfare of this people, but their harm.” ⁵King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, ^(D)for the king can do nothing against you.” ⁶So they took Jeremiah ^(E)and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in ^(F)the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down ^(G)by ropes. ^(H)And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and ^(I)Jeremiah sank in the mud.

Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern

⁷When ^(J)Ebed-melech ^(K)the Ethiopian, ^(L)a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting ^(M)in the Benjamin Gate— ⁸^(N)Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king, 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 ^(O)hunger, ^(P)for there is no bread left in the city.” ¹⁰Then the king commanded ^(Q)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” ¹¹So ^(R)Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern ^(S)by ropes. ¹²Then ^(T)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and ^(U)the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. ¹³Then they drew Jeremiah up with ^(V)ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the ^(W)court of the guard.