Beginning
38 1 By the motion of the rulers Jeremiah is put into a dungeon. 14 At the request of Ebed-Melech the King commandeth Jeremiah to be brought forth of the dungeon. 17 Jeremiah showeth the King how he might escape death.
1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of [a]Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city, shall die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans, shall live: for he shall have his life for [b]a prey, and shall live.
3 Thus saith the Lord, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babel’s army, which shall take it.
4 Therefore the Princes said unto the king, We beseech you, let this man be put to death: for thus he [c]weakeneth the hands of the men of war [d]that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the wealth of this people, but the hurt.
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can deny [e]you nothing.
6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords: and in the dungeon there was no water but mire: so Jeremiah stuck fast in the mire.
7 Now when Ebed-Melech ye [f]black Moor, one of the Eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon, (then the king sat in the [g]gate of Benjamin)
8 And Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying,
9 My lord the king, [h]these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the Prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he dieth for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the black Moor, saying, Take from hence thirty men [i]with thee, and take Jeremiah the Prophet out of the dungeon before he die.
11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him, and went to the house of the king under the treasury, and took there old rotten rags, and old worn clouts, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12 And Ebed-Melech the black Moor said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old rotten rags and worn, under thine arm holes, between the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon, and Jeremiah remained in the [j]court of the prison.
14 ¶ Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the Prophet unto him, into the third entry that is in the House of the Lord, and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing: hide nothing from me.
15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not slay me? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hear me.
16 So the King sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us these souls, I will not slay thee, nor give thee into the hands of those men that seek thy life.
17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord God of hosts the God of Israel, If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babel’s [k]princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burnt up with fire, and thou shalt live, and thine house.
18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babel’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hands.
19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am careful for the Jews that are fled unto the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hands, and they [l]mock me.
20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee: hearken unto the voice of the Lord, I beseech thee, which I speak unto thee: so shall it be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
21 But if thou wilt refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord hath showed me.
22 And behold, all the women that are [m]left in the king of Judah’s house, shall be brought forth to the king of Babel’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have persuaded thee, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are fastened in the mire, and they are turned back.
23 So they shall bring out all thy wives, and thy children to the Chaldeans, and thou shalt not escape out of their hands, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babel: and this city shalt thou cause to be burnt with fire.
24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
25 But if the princes understand that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now, what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not slay thee: also what the King said unto thee,
26 Then shalt thou say unto them, I humbly [n]besought the king that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.
27 Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah and asked him, And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded: so they left off speaking with him, for the matter was not perceived.
28 So Jeremiah abode still in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.
39 2 Nebuchadnezzar beseigeth Jerusalem. 4 Zedekiah fleeing, is taken of the Chaldeans. 6 His sons are slain. 7 His eyes are thrust out. 11 Jeremiah is provided for. 26 Ebed-Melech is delivered from captivity.
1 In (A)the ninth year of Zedekiah King of Judah in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel and all his host against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken [o]up.
3 And all the princes of the King of Babel came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babel.
4 And when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went out of the city by night, through the king’s garden, and by the [p]gate between the two walls, and he went toward the wilderness.
5 But the Chaldean’s host pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the desert of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel unto [q]Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.
6 Then the king of Babel slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babel slew all the nobles of Judah.
7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him in chains to carry him to Babel.
8 And the Chaldeans burnt the king’s house, and the houses of the people with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 Then Nebuzaradan the [r]chief steward carried away captive into Babel the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that were fled and fallen unto him, with the rest of the people that remained.
10 But Nebuzaradan the chief steward left the [s]poor that had nothing in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel gave charge concerning Jeremiah [t]unto Nebuzaradan the chief steward, saying,
12 Take him, and [u]look well to him, and do him no harm, but do unto him [v]even as he shall say unto thee.
13 So Nebuzaradan the chief steward sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergal-Sharezar, Rabmag, and all the King of Babel’s princes:
14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto [w]Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.
15 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
16 Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the black Moor, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good, and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord, and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men whom thou fearest.
18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee, because thou [x]hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.
40 Jeremiah hath license to go whither he will. 6 He dwelleth with the people that remain with Gedaliah.
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after that Nebuzaradan the chief steward had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babel.
2 [y]And the chief steward took Jeremiah and said unto him, The Lord thy God hath pronounced this plague upon this place.
3 Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have [z]sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.
4 And now behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were on thine hands: if it please thee to come with me into Babel, come, and I will look well unto thee: but if it please thee not to come with me into Babel, [aa]tarry still: behold, all the land is [ab]before thee: whither it seemeth good, and convenient for thee to go, thither go.
5 For yet he was not returned: therefore he said, Return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babel hath made governor over all the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people, or go wheresoever it pleaseth thee to go. So the chief steward gave him vittles and a reward, and let him go.
6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to [ac]Mizpah, and dwelt there with him among the people that were left in the land.
7 Now when all the captains of the host, [ad]which were in the fields, even they and their men heard, that the king of Babel had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and that he had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, that were not carried away captive to Babel,
8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even [ae]Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai, the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of Maachathi, they and their men.
9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan (B)sware unto them, and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babel, and it shall be well with you:
10 As for me, Behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to [af]serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but you, gather you wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities, that ye have [ag]taken.
11 Likewise when all the Jews that were in [ah]Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babel had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan,
12 Even all the Jews returned out of all places where they were driven, and came to the land of Judah to Gedaliah unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits, very much.
13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the host, that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
14 And said unto him, Knowest thou not that [ai]Baalis the King of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it. Wherefore should he kill thee, that all the Jews, which are gathered unto thee, should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt [aj]not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.
41 2 Ishmael killeth Gedaliah guilefully, and many others with him. 11 Johanan followeth after Ishmael.
1 But in the [ak]seventh month came Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama of the seed royal, and the princes of the [al]king, and ten men with him, unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and there they did [am]eat bread together in Mizpah.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah with these ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him whom the king of Babel had made governor over the land.
3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and all the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.
4 Now the second day that he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
5 There came men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent and cut, with [an]offerings and incense in their hands to offer in the house of the Lord.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping, as he went: and when he met them, he said unto them, Come [ao]to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And when they came into the midst of the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he and the men that were with him.
8 But ten men were found among them, that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey: so he stayed, and slew them not among their brethren.
9 Now the [pit] wherein Ishmael had cast the dead bodies of the men (whom he had slain because of Gedaliah) is it, which Asa the king had [ap]made because of Baasha king of Israel, and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.
10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the King’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the chief steward had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the [aq]captains of the host that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
12 Then they all took their men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.
13 Now when all the people whom Ishmael carried away captive, saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the host, that were with him, they were glad.
14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah, returned and came again, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.
15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the [ar]Ammonites.
16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the host that were with him, all the remnant of the people, whom Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had carried away captive from Mizpah, (after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam) even the strong men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon.
17 And they departed and dwelt in Geruth [as]Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go and to enter into Egypt,
18 Because of the Chaldeans: for they feared them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babel made governor in the land.
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