²⁴ Nevertheless ^(A)the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

^51 (A)“Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

^7 (A)Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the ^[a]eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, ⁸ Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house 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 dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is ^(B)no more bread in the city.” ¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.”

¹⁶ So the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

^17 (A)Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: ^18 (B)“Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:

¹⁹ Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? ^(E)Did he not fear the Lord and ^(F)seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord ^(G)relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. ^(H)But we are doing great evil against ourselves.”

¹⁴ So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as ^(A)faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? ¹⁵ Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.”