Jeremiah in Prison

37 Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, ruled in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. ² But he and his servants and the people of the land would not listen to what the Lord said through Jeremiah the man of God.

³ King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the religious leader, to Jeremiah the man of God, saying, “Pray to the Lord our God for us.” ⁴ Now Jeremiah was still free to come and go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison. ⁵ The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when the Babylonian army which had been around Jerusalem heard the news about them, they left Jerusalem.

⁶ Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the man of God, saying, ⁷ “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask Me what will happen, “See, Pharaoh’s army which has come to help you is going to return to its own land of Egypt. ⁸ Then the Babylonians will return and fight against this city. They will take it and burn it with fire.”’ ⁹ The Lord says, ‘Do not fool yourselves, saying, “For sure the Babylonians will go away from us.” For they will not go. ¹⁰ Even if you had won the battle against the whole Babylonian army fighting with you, and only men who were hurt were left in their tents, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’”

¹¹ Now the Babylonian army had left Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army. ¹² And so Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to take his land there among the people. ¹³ While he was at the Gate of Benjamin, a soldier was there watching. His name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah. He took hold of Jeremiah the man of God, saying, “You are going over to the Babylonians!” ¹⁴ But Jeremiah said, “It is a lie! I am not going over to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him. He took hold of Jeremiah and brought him to the leaders. ¹⁵ The leaders were angry with Jeremiah and beat him. They put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the writer, which they had made into a prison.

¹⁶ After Jeremiah had been in an under-ground prison many days, ¹⁷ King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to his house. The king asked him in secret, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is!” Then he said, “You will be given over to the king of Babylon!” ¹⁸ Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “In what way have I sinned against you or your servants, or against these people? Why have you put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your men who spoke to you in God’s name, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’? ²⁰ But now I ask you to listen, O my lord the king. Hear what I ask, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the writer, or I will die there.” ²¹ So King Zedekiah had them put Jeremiah in the open space of the prison. And a loaf of bread was given to him every day from the bread makers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the open space of the prison.

Jeremiah in a Dry Water Well

38 Now Shaphatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard Jeremiah telling all the people, ² “The Lord says, ‘He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by hunger and by disease. But he who goes over to the Babylonians will live. He will get away with his life and live.’ ³ The Lord says, ‘For sure this city will be given to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will take it.’” ⁴ Then the leaders said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death. For he is making the hearts of the men of war weak who are left in this city, and of all the people, by saying such words to them. This man does not care about the well-being of these people, but instead wants them hurt.” ⁵ So King Zedekiah said, “He is in your hands. The king can do nothing against you.” ⁶ So they took Jeremiah and put him into the well of Malchijah the king’s son, in the open space of the prison, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, but only mud. And Jeremiah went down into the mud. ⁷ But Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian servant of the king who had been made so he could not have children, heard in the king’s house that they had put Jeremiah into the well. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin. ⁸ And Ebedmelech went from the king’s house and said to him, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have been very sinful in all they have done to Jeremiah the man of God. They have put him in the well. And he will die there of hunger, for there is no more bread in the city.” ¹⁰ Then the king told Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “I am giving you the power to take thirty men with you, and bring Jeremiah the man of God up from the well before he dies.” ¹¹ So Ebed-melech as the leader took the men with him and went into the king’s house to a place under the store-room. He took from there old pieces of cloth and worn-out clothes and let them down by ropes to Jeremiah in the well. ¹² Then Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the clothes and pieces of cloth between your arms and the ropes,” and Jeremiah did so. ¹³ Then they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the well. And Jeremiah stayed in the open space of the prison.

Zedekiah Asks Jeremiah about Future Happenings

¹⁴ King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the man of God and had him brought to him at the third door of the house of the Lord. And the king said to him, “I am going to ask you something. Do not hide anything from me.” ¹⁵ Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not kill me? Even if I speak wise words to you, you will not listen to me.” ¹⁶ But King Zedekiah promised Jeremiah in secret, “As the Lord lives, Who gave us life, for sure I will not kill you or give you over to these men who want to kill you.”

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you will go out to the captains of the king of Babylon, then you will live. This city will not be burned with fire, and you and those of your house will live. ¹⁸ But if you will not go out to the captains of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given to the Babylonians. They will burn it with fire, and you will not get away from them.’” ¹⁹ King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians. I am afraid I will be given over to them, and that they will make it hard for me.” ²⁰ But Jeremiah said, “They will not give you to them. Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you and you will live. ²¹ But if you will not go out, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: ²² ‘All of the women left in the house of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the captains of the king of Babylon. And these women will say, “Your trusted friends have lied to you and have become stronger than you. Now when your feet have gone down into the mud, they turn away from you.” ²³ All your wives and your sons will be led out to the Babylonians. And you yourself will not get away from them. The king of Babylon will take hold of you, and this city will be burned with fire.’”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know about these words and you will not die. ²⁵ The leaders might hear that I have talked with you, and come and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king, and what the king said to you. Do not hide it from us, and we will not kill you.’ ²⁶ Then you must tell them, ‘I was asking the king not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” ²⁷ All the leaders did come to Jeremiah to ask him questions. So he said to them everything the king had told him to say. And they stopped speaking with him, because the words he and the king had spoken together had not been heard by anyone else. ²⁸ So Jeremiah stayed in the open space of the prison until the day Jerusalem was taken.

Jerusalem Taken by the Babylonians

39 In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came and gathered around Jerusalem. ² And on the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the city wall was broken open. ³ Then all the captains of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sarsekim, the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the captains of the king of Babylon. ⁴ When King Zedekiah of Judah and all his men of war saw them, they ran out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls. They went out toward the Jordan Valley. ⁵ But the Babylonian army went after them and came to Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They took hold of him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And Nebuchadnezzar decided how he should be punished. ⁶ The king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons in front of his eyes at Riblah. He killed all the leaders of Judah also. ⁷ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and put him in chains of brass to take him to Babylon. ⁸ The Babylonians burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire. And they broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹ Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the soldiers, carried the rest of the people who were left in the city away to Babylon, those who went over with him, and the people who stayed. ¹⁰ But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the prison soldiers, left behind in the land of Judah some of the poorest people who had nothing. He gave them grape-fields and fields at the same time.

Jeremiah Is Not Held

¹¹ Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon said what must be done about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the prison soldiers. He said, ¹² “Take him and watch over him. Do not hurt him, but do with him as he tells you.” ¹³ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the prison soldiers, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the leading captains of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent for Jeremiah and took him out of the open space of the prison. And they put him in the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So Jeremiah stayed among the people.

Ebed-melech’s Future

¹⁵ The Word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was being kept in the open space of the prison, saying, ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel says: “I will bring My words on this city for bad and not for good. And they will happen in front of you at that time. ¹⁷ I will save you on that day,” says the Lord. “You will not be given over to the men you are afraid of. ¹⁸ For I will be sure to take you away, and you will not be killed by the sword. You will have your life because you have trusted in Me,”’” says the Lord.

Jeremiah Free to Go

40 This is the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan, captain of the prison soldiers, had let him go from Ramah. He had taken him there in chains with all the other people of Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken to Babylon. ² The captain of the prison soldiers took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this trouble against this place. ³ The Lord has brought it about, and has done just as He promised. This thing has happened to you because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to Him. ⁴ But now I am setting you free today from the chains on your hands. If you would like to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will see that it goes well with you. But if you do not want to come with me to Babylon, do not come. See, the whole land is before you. Go where you think it is good and right for you to go. ⁵ If you stay, then go back to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has set over the cities of Judah. Stay with him among the people. Or go where you think it is right to go.” Then the captain of the prison soldiers gave him a share of food and a gift, and let him go. ⁶ So Jeremiah went to Mizpah, to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And he stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

Gedaliah Is Ruler of Judah

⁷ Now all the captains of the armies that were in the field and their men heard that the king of Babylon had chosen Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to rule over the land. The king had put him over the men, women and children who were the poorest of the land and had not been taken to Babylon. ⁸ So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. With them were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, together with their men. ⁹ Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, made a promise to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid of serving the Babylonians. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then it will go well with you. ¹⁰ As for me, I will stay at Mizpah to stand for you in front of the Babylonians who come to us. But as for you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and store them in your jars. And live in your cities that you have taken.” ¹¹ All the Jews in Moab and Ammon and Edom, and in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left some of the people in Judah. They heard that he had chosen Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to rule over them. ¹² Then all the Jews returned from all the places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered much wine and summer fruit.

Gedaliah Is Killed

¹³ Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the armies that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. ¹⁴ They said to him, “Do you know that Baalis, the king of the sons of Ammon, has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. ¹⁵ Then Johanan the son of Kareah said in secret to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know about it. Why should he kill you? Then all the Jews who are gathered to you would go everywhere. And those of Judah who are left here would die.” ¹⁶ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this. For you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”