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Jeremiah 38-40
Holman Christian Standard Bible

Jeremiah Thrown into a Cistern

38 Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal[a] son of Shelemiah,(A) and Pashhur son of Malchijah heard the words Jeremiah was speaking to all the people: 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live. He will keep his life like the spoils of war and will live.’(B) 3 This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will most certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon’s army,(C) and he will capture it.’”

4 The officials then said to the king, “This man ought to die, because he is weakening the morale of the warriors who remain in this city and of all the people by speaking to them in this way. This man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but disaster.”(D)

5 King Zedekiah said, “Here he is; he’s in your hands since the king can’t do anything against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.(E)

7 But Ebed-melech, a Cushite court official employed in the king’s palace, heard Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,(F) 8 Ebed-melech went from the king’s palace and spoke to the king: 9 “My lord the king, these men have been evil in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern where he will die from hunger, because there is no more bread in the city.”(G)

10 So the king commanded Ebed-melech, the Cushite, “Take from here 30 men under your authority and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the cistern before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went to the king’s palace to a place below the storehouse.[b] From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and lowered them by ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out to Jeremiah, “Place these old rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, but he continued to stay in the guard’s courtyard.

Zedekiah’s Final Meeting with Jeremiah

14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.”

15 Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.”

16 King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private,(H) “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life,(I) I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.”

17 Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon,(J) then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’”

19 But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”(K)

20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict[c] that the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘All the women[d] who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say:

Your trusted friends[e] misled[f] you
and overcame you.
Your feet sank into the mire,
and they deserted you.

23 All your wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans.(L) You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn down.’”

24 Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these things or you will die. 25 If the officials hear that I have spoken with you(M) and come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide anything from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you?’ 26 then you will tell them, ‘I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”(N) 27 When all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him, he reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because nothing had been heard. 28 Jeremiah remained in the guard’s courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and he was there when it happened.[g]

The Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon

39 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to it. 2 In the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into. 3 All the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar, Nebusarsechim[h] the Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of Babylon’s king.

4 When he saw them, Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls. They left along the route to the Arabah.(O) 5 However, the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains[i] of Jericho, arrested him, and brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, at Riblah in the land of Hamath. The king passed sentence on him there.

6 At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all Judah’s nobles. 7 Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon.(P) 8 The Chaldeans next burned down the king’s palace and the people’s houses and tore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards,(Q) deported the rest of the people to Babylon—those who had remained in the city and those deserters who had defected to him along with the rest of the people who had remained. 10 However, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and he gave them vineyards and fields at that time.(R)

Jeremiah Freed by Nebuchadnezzar

11 Speaking through Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon gave orders concerning Jeremiah, saying: 12 “Take him, look after him, and don’t let any harm come to him; do for him whatever he says.” 13 Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer the Rab-mag, and all the captains of the king of Babylon 14 had Jeremiah brought from the guard’s courtyard(S) and turned him over to Gedaliah(T) son of Ahikam,(U) son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he settled among his own people.

15 Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah when he was confined in the guard’s courtyard:(V) 16 “Go tell Ebed-melech the Cushite:(W) This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill My words for harm and not for good against this city. They will take place before your eyes on that day. 17 But I will rescue you on that day”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and you will not be handed over to the men you fear. 18 Indeed, I will certainly deliver you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will keep your life like the spoils of war.”(X) This is the Lord’s declaration.

Jeremiah Stays in Judah

40 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, released him at Ramah.(Y) When he found him, he was bound in chains with all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster on this place,(Z) 3 and the Lord has fulfilled it. He has done just what He decreed. Because you people have sinned against the Lord(AA) and have not obeyed Him, this thing has happened. 4 Now pay attention: Today I am setting you free from the chains that were on your hands.(AB) If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no farther.[j] Look—the whole land is in front of you.(AC) Wherever it seems good and right for you to go, go there.” 5 When Jeremiah had not yet turned to go, Nebuzaradan said to him: “Return[k] to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people or go wherever you want to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him a ration(AD) and a gift(AE) and released him. 6 Jeremiah therefore went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah,(AF) and he stayed with him among the people who remained in the land.

Gedaliah Advises Peace

7 When all the commanders of the armies in the field—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and children from the poorest of the land who had not been deported to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The commanders included Ishmael(AG) son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.

9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.(AH) 10 As for me, I am going to live in Mizpah to represent[l] you before the Chaldeans(AI) who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars, and live in the cities you have captured.”

11 When all the Judeans in Moab(AJ) and among the Ammonites and in(AK) Edom and in all the other lands(AL) also heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, over them, 12 they all returned from all the places where they had been banished(AM) and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and harvested a great amount of wine and summer fruit.

13 Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and warned him, “Don’t you realize that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah(AN) to kill you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15 Then Johanan son of Kareah suggested to Gedaliah in private at Mizpah, “Let me go kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will know it. Why should he kill you and scatter all of Judah that has gathered to you so that the remnant of Judah would perish?”(AO)

16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam responded to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do that! What you’re saying about Ishmael is a lie.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:1 = Jehucal in Jr 37:3
  2. Jeremiah 38:11 Or treasury
  3. Jeremiah 38:21 Or promise; lit word
  4. Jeremiah 38:22 Or wives
  5. Jeremiah 38:22 Lit The men of your peace
  6. Jeremiah 38:22 Or incited
  7. Jeremiah 38:28 Or captured. This is what happened when Jerusalem was captured:
  8. Jeremiah 39:3 LXX; MT reads Samgar-nebu, Sarsechim
  9. Jeremiah 39:5 Lit Arabah
  10. Jeremiah 40:4 Lit Babylon, stop
  11. Jeremiah 40:5 LXX reads But if not, run, return; Hb obscure
  12. Jeremiah 40:10 Lit to stand
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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

  1. Jeremiah 38:1 Hebrew Jukal, a variant of Jehukal
  2. Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23
  3. Jeremiah 38:7 Probably from the upper Nile region
  4. Jeremiah 38:7 Or a eunuch
  5. Jeremiah 38:23 Or and you will cause this city to
  6. Jeremiah 39:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  7. Jeremiah 39:5 Or Chaldean
  8. Jeremiah 39:8 Or Chaldeans
  9. Jeremiah 40:5 Or Jeremiah answered
  10. Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
  11. Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10
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