Jeremiah:38

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* And Shephatiah the son of Mattan , and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur , and Jucal the son of Shelemiah , and Pashhur the son of Malchijah , heard the words that Jeremiah spoke to all the people , saying , * Thus says LORD : He who abides in this city shall die by the sword , by the famine , and by the pestilence , but he who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live , and his life shall be to him for a prey , and he shall live . * Thus says LORD : This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon , and he shall take it . * Then the rulers said to the king , Let this man , we pray thee , be put to death , inasmuch as he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city , and the hands of all the people , in speaking such words to them . For this ma * And Zedekiah the king said , Behold , he is in your hand , for the king is not he who can do anything against you . * Then they took Jeremiah , and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king 's son , that was in the court of the guard . And they let Jeremiah down with cords . And in the dungeon there was no water , but mire , and Jeremiah sank in th * Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian , a eunuch , who was in the king 's house , heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin ), * Ebed-melech went forth out of the king 's house , and spoke to the king , saying , * 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 in the place where he is because of the famine , for there is no more bread * Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian , saying , Take from here thirty men with thee , and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies . * So Ebed-melech took the men with him , and went into the house of the king under the treasury , and took from there rags and worn-out garments , and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah . * And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah , Now put these rags and worn-out garments under thine armpits under the cords . And Jeremiah did so . * So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords , and took him up out of the dungeon . And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard . * Then Zedekiah the king sent , and took Jeremiah the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of LORD . And the king said to Jeremiah , I will ask thee a thing ; hide nothing from me . * Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah , If I declare it to thee , will thou not surely put me to death ? And if I give thee counsel , thou will not hearken to me . * So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah , saying , As LORD lives , who made us this soul , I will not put thee to death , nor will I give thee into the hand of these men who seek thy life . * Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah , Thus says LORD , the God of hosts , the God of Israel . If thou will go forth to the king of Babylon 's rulers , then thy soul shall live , and this city shall not be burned with fire , and thou shall live , * But if thou will not go forth to the king of Babylon 's rulers , then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans , and they shall burn it with fire , and thou shall not escape out of their hand . * And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah , I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen away to the Chaldeans , lest they deliver me into their hand , and they abuse me . * But Jeremiah said , They shall not deliver thee . Obey , I beseech thee , the voice of LORD , in that which I speak to thee , so it shall be well with thee , and thy soul shall live . * But if thou refuse to go forth , this is the word that LORD has shown me : * Behold , all the women who are left in the king of Judah 's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon 's rulers . And those women shall say , Thy familiar friends have set upon thee , and have prevailed over thee . [Since ] thy f * And they shall bring out all thy wives and thy sons to the Chaldeans . And thou shall not escape out of their hand , but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon . And thou shall cause this city to be burned with fire . * Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah , Let no man know of these words , and thou shall not die . * But if the rulers hear that I have talked with thee , and they come to thee , and say to thee , Declare to us now what thou have said to the king , hide it not from us , and we will not put thee to death , also what the king said to thee * then thou shall say to them , I presented my supplication before the king , that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan 's house to die there . * Then all the rulers came to 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 . * So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken .

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