38 Now Sheph·a·tyʹah the son of Matʹtan, Ged·a·lyʹah the son of Pashʹhur, Juʹcal the son of Shel·e·myʹah, and Pashʹhur the son of Mal·chiʹyah heard the words that Yeremyah was speaking to all the people, saying: 2 “This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says, ‘The one who remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. But the one who surrenders to the Chal·deʹans will keep living and will have his life as a spoil and live.’ 3 This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} says, ‘This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’”
4 The princes said to the king: “Please have this man put to death, for this is how he is weakening the morale of the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as that of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man seeks, not the peace of this people, but their calamity.” 5 King Zed·e·kyʹah replied: “Look! He is in your hands, for the king cannot do anything to stop you.”
6 So they took Yeremyah and threw him into the cistern of Mal·chiʹyah the son of the king, which was in the Courtyard of the Guard. They let Yeremyah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Yeremyah began to sink down into the mud.
7 Eʹbed-melʹech the E·thi·oʹpi·an, a eunuch in the king’s house, heard that they had put Yeremyah into the cistern. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin, 8 so Eʹbed-melʹech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: 9 “O my lord the king, what these men have done to Yeremyah the prophet is evil! They have thrown him into the cistern, and he will die there because of the famine, for there is no bread left in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Eʹbed-melʹech the E·thi·oʹpi·an: “Take 30 men with you from here, and pull Yeremyah the prophet up out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Eʹbed-melʹech took the men with him and went into the king’s house to a place beneath the treasury, and they took from there some worn-out rags and worn-out pieces of cloth and let them down by ropes to Yeremyah in the cistern. 12 Then Eʹbed-melʹech the E·thi·oʹpi·an said to Yeremyah: “Please put the rags and the pieces of cloth between your armpits and the ropes.” Yeremyah did so, 13 and they drew Yeremyah out with the ropes and pulled him up out of the cistern. And Yeremyah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard.
14 King Zed·e·kyʹah sent for Yeremyah the prophet to come to him at the third entrance, which is in the house of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, and the king said to Yeremyah: “I have something to ask of you. Do not hide anything from me.” 15 Yeremyah then said to Zed·e·kyʹah: “If I tell you, you will certainly put me to death. And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 So King Zed·e·kyʹah secretly swore to Yeremyah, saying: “As surely as Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} is alive, who has given us this life, I will not put you to death, and I will not hand you over to these men who are seeking to take your life.”
17 Yeremyah then said to Zed·e·kyʹah: “This is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah}, the Al {pre. Ahl} of armies, the Al {pre. Ahl} of Isra'Al, says, ‘If you surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will be spared. 18 But if you will not surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Chal·deʹans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape out of their hand.’”
19 Then King Zed·e·kyʹah said to Yeremyah: “I am afraid of the Yehodym who have deserted to the Chal·deʹans, for if I am handed over to them, they may deal cruelly with me.” 20 But Yeremyah said: “You will not be handed over to them. Obey, please, the voice of Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} in what I am telling you, and it will go well with you, and you will continue to live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Ahv'ah {Heb. Yahvah} has revealed to me: 22 Look! All the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah are being brought out to the princes of the king of Babylon, and they are saying,
‘The men whom you trusted have deceived you and overcome you.
They have caused your foot to sink into the mud.
Now they have turned away in retreat.’
23 And all your wives and your sons they are bringing out to the Chal·deʹans, and you will not escape out of their hand, but you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and because of you this city will be burned with fire.”
24 Zed·e·kyʹah then said to Yeremyah: “Do not let anyone know about these things, so that you do not die. 25 And if the princes hear that I have spoken with you and they come and say to you, ‘Tell us, please, what you said to the king. Do not hide anything from us, and we will not put you to death. What did the king say to you?’ 26 you must answer them, ‘I was making a request of the king, that he not send me back to the house of Ye·honʹa·than to die there.’”
27 In time all the princes came in to Yeremyah and questioned him. He told them everything that the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard the conversation. 28 Until the day that Yerushalom was captured, Yeremyah remained in the Courtyard of the Guard; he was still there when Yerushalom was captured.