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Jeremiah 38-40
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 38-40
English Standard Version
Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern
38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, (A)Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and (B)Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: 2 “Thus says the Lord: (C)He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, (D)but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. 3 Thus says the Lord: (E)This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” 4 Then the officials said to the king, (F)“Let this man be put to death, (G)for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking (H)the welfare of this people, but their harm.” 5 King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, (I)for the king can do nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah (J)and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in (K)the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down (L)by ropes. (M)And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and (N)Jeremiah sank in the mud.
Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern
7 When (O)Ebed-melech (P)the Ethiopian, (Q)a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting (R)in the Benjamin Gate— 8 (S)Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king, 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of (T)hunger, (U)for there is no bread left in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded (V)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So (W)Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern (X)by ropes. 12 Then (Y)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and (Z)the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they drew Jeremiah up with (AA)ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the (AB)court of the guard.
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.” 16 Then King Zedekiah swore (AC)secretly to Jeremiah, (AD)“As the Lord lives, (AE)who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of (AF)these men who seek your life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: (AG)If you will surrender to (AH)the officials of the king of Babylon, (AI)then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to (AJ)the officials of the king of Babylon, (AK)then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, (AL)and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans (AM)who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.” 20 Jeremiah said, “You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, (AN)and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you refuse to (AO)surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me: 22 Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying,
(AP)“‘Your trusted friends have deceived you
and prevailed against you;
now that your feet are sunk in the mud,
they turn away from you.’
23 All your wives and (AQ)your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 If (AR)the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, (AS)‘I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained (AT)in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.
The Fall of Jerusalem
39 (AU)In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. 3 Then all (AV)the officials of the king of Babylon came (AW)and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim (AX)the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward (AY)the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in (AZ)the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at (BA)Riblah, in the land of Hamath; (BB)and he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon (BC)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at (BD)Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon (BE)slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 (BF)He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 8 (BG)The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, (BH)and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then (BI)Nebuzaradan, the (BJ)captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, (BK)those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. 10 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, (BL)left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
The Lord Delivers Jeremiah
11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 (BM)“Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” 13 So (BN)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, (BO)and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from (BP)the court of the guard. They entrusted him to (BQ)Gedaliah the son of (BR)Ahikam, son of (BS)Shaphan, that he should take him home. So (BT)he lived among the people.
15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (BU)while he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to (BV)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (BW)Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and (BX)not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men (BY)of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your (BZ)life as a prize of war, (CA)because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
Jeremiah Remains in Judah
40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord (CB)after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from (CC)Ramah, when he took him (CD)bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, (CE)“The Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place. 3 The Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said. (CF)Because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you. 4 Now, behold, I release you today from (CG)the chains on your hands. (CH)If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well, (CI)but if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. (CJ)See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. 5 If you remain,[a] then return to (CK)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, (CL)whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever you think it right to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to (CM)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at (CN)Mizpah, and lived with him (CO)among the people (CP)who were left in the land.
7 (CQ)When all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that (CR)the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of (CS)the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon, 8 they went to Gedaliah at (CT)Mizpah—(CU)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, (CV)Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, (CW)Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9 Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, (CX)and it shall be well with you. 10 As for me, I will dwell at (CY)Mizpah, to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But as for you, (CZ)gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” 11 Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in (DA)Moab and among (DB)the Ammonites and in (DC)Edom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 (DD)then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they (DE)gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.
13 Now (DF)Johanan the son of Kareah and (DG)all the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of (DH)the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, “Please let me go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered about you would be scattered, (DI)and the remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 40:5 Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew phrase is uncertain
Jeremiah 38-40
New International Version
Jeremiah 38-40
New International Version
Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern
38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur(A), Jehukal[a](B) son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(C) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[b] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(D) 3 And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”(E)
4 Then the officials(F) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.(G) He is discouraging(H) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”
5 “He is in your hands,”(I) King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing(J) to oppose you.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.(K) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes(L) into the cistern; it had no water in it,(M) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.(N)
7 But Ebed-Melek,(O) a Cushite,[c] an official[d](P) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,(Q) 8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,(R) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread(S) in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes(T) to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(U)
Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again
14 Then King Zedekiah sent(V) for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide(W) anything from me.”
15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”
16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly(X) to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath,(Y) I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”(Z)
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(AA) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.(AB) 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands(AC) of the Babylonians and they will burn(AD) it down; you yourself will not escape(AE) from them.’”
19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid(AF) of the Jews who have gone over(AG) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”
20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey(AH) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well(AI) with you, and your life(AJ) will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22 All the women(AK) left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:
“‘They misled you and overcame you—
those trusted friends(AL) of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;(AM)
your friends have deserted you.’
23 “All your wives and children(AN) will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape(AO) from their hands but will be captured(AP) by the king of Babylon; and this city will[e] be burned down.”(AQ)
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know(AR) about this conversation, or you may die. 25 If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26 then tell(AS) them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house(AT) to die there.’”
27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.
28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard(AU) until the day Jerusalem was captured.
The Fall of Jerusalem(AV)
This is how Jerusalem(AW) was taken: 39 1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah(AX) king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(AY) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege(AZ) to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth(BA) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall(BB) was broken through.(BC) 3 Then all the officials(BD) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,(BE) and headed toward the Arabah.[f](BF)
5 But the Babylonian[g] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah(BG) in the plains of Jericho. They captured(BH) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah(BI) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles(BJ) of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes(BK) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(BL)
8 The Babylonians[h] set fire(BM) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls(BN) of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,(BO) and the rest of the people.(BP) 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 “Take him and look after him; don’t harm(BQ) him but do for him whatever he asks.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers(BR) of the king of Babylon 14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.(BS) They turned him over to Gedaliah(BT) son of Ahikam,(BU) the son of Shaphan,(BV) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.(BW)
15 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16 “Go and tell Ebed-Melek(BX) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words(BY) against this city—words concerning disaster,(BZ) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17 But I will rescue(CA) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save(CB) you; you will not fall by the sword(CC) but will escape with your life,(CD) because you trust(CE) in me, declares the Lord.’”
Jeremiah Freed
40 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah.(CF) He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives(CG) from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander(CH) of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed(CI) this disaster(CJ) for this place.(CK) 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned(CL) against the Lord and did not obey(CM) him. 4 But today I am freeing(CN) you from the chains(CO) on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”(CP) 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go,[i] Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah(CQ) son of Ahikam,(CR) the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed(CS) over the towns(CT) of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”(CU)
Then the commander gave him provisions and a present(CV) and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah(CW) and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.
Gedaliah Assassinated(CX)
7 When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor(CY) over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest(CZ) in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(DA)—Ishmael(DB) son of Nethaniah, Johanan(DC) and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,(DD) and Jaazaniah[j] the son of the Maakathite,(DE) and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve(DF) the Babylonians,[k](DG)” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.(DH) 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah(DI) to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine,(DJ) summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars,(DK) and live in the towns you have taken over.”(DL)
11 When all the Jews in Moab,(DM) Ammon, Edom(DN) and all the other countries(DO) heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered.(DP) And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.
13 Johanan(DQ) son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(DR) 14 and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites(DS) has sent Ishmael(DT) son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan(DU) son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill(DV) Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered(DW) and the remnant(DX) of Judah to perish?”
16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan(DY) son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 38:1 Hebrew Jukal, a variant of Jehukal
- Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23
- Jeremiah 38:7 Probably from the upper Nile region
- Jeremiah 38:7 Or a eunuch
- Jeremiah 38:23 Or and you will cause this city to
- Jeremiah 39:4 Or the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 39:5 Or Chaldean
- Jeremiah 39:8 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 40:5 Or Jeremiah answered
- Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
- Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.