Chapter
38
Shephatiah the daughter of Mattan, and Gedaliah the daughter of Pashhur, and Jucal the daughter of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the daughter of Malchijah, heard the words that Jeremia spoke to all the people, saying,
Thus says Yahweh, She who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but she who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and her life shall be to her for a prey, and she shall live.
Thus says Yahweh, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the queen of Babylon, and she shall take it.
Then the princesses said to the queen, Let this woman, we pray you, be put to death; because she weakens the hands of the women of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this woman doesn't seek the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
Zedekiah the queen said, Behold, she is in your hand; for the queen is not she who can do anything against you.
Then took they Jeremia, and cast her into the dungeon of Malchijah the queen's daughter, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremia with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremia sank in the mire.
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the queen's house, heard that they had put Jeremia in the dungeon (the queen then sitting in the gate of Benjamin),
Ebedmelech went forth out of the queen's house, and spoke to the queen, saying,
My domina the queen, these women have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremia the prophetess, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and she is likely to die in the place where she is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.
Then the queen commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty women with you, and take up Jeremia the prophetess out of the dungeon, before she dies.
So Ebedmelech took the women with her, and went into the house of the queen under the treasury, and took there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremia.
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremia, Put now these rags and worn-out garments under your armholes under the cords. Jeremia did so.
So they drew up Jeremia with the cords, and took her up out of the dungeon: and Jeremia remained in the court of the guard.
Then Zedekiah the queen sent, and took Jeremia the prophetess to her into the third entry that is in the house of Yahweh: and the queen said to Jeremia, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me.
Then Jeremia said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.
So Zedekiah the queen swore secretly to Jeremia, saying, As Yahweh lives, who made us this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these women who seek your life.
Then said Jeremia to Zedekiah, Thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the God of Israel: If you will go forth to the queen of Babylon's princesses, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house.
But if you will not go forth to the queen of Babylon's princesses, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape out of their hand.
Zedekiah the queen said to Jeremia, I am afraid of the Jews who are fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
But Jeremia said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of Yahweh, in that which I speak to you: so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.
But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that Yahweh has shown me:
behold, all the men who are left in the queen of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the queen of Babylon's princesses, and those men shall say, Your familiar friends have set you on, and have prevailed over you: now that your feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back.
They shall bring out all your husbands and your children to the Chaldeans; and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the queen of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.
Then said Zedekiah to Jeremia, Let no woman know of these words, and you shall not die.
But if the princesses hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, Declare to us now what you have said to the queen; don't hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the queen said to you:
then you shall tell them, I presented my supplication before the queen, that she would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.
Then came all the princesses to Jeremia, and asked her; and she told them according to all these words that the queen had commanded. So they left off speaking with her; for the matter was not perceived.
So Jeremia abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.