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Jeremiah 38

1 By the mocion of the rulers Ieremiáh is put into a dongeon. 14 At the requeſt of Ebed-mélech the King commandeth Ieremiáh to be broght forthe of the dongeon. 17 Ieremiáh ſheweth the King how he might eſcape death.
1.THen Shephatiáh the ſonne of Mattán, and Gedaliáh the ſonne of Paſhúr, and Iucál the ſonne of Shelemiáh, & Paſhhúr the ſonne of Malchiáh, heard the wordes that Ieremiáh had ſpoken vnto all the people, ſaying,
2.Thus ſaith the Lord, He that remaineth in this citie, ſhal dye by the ſworde, by the famine and by the peſtilence: but he that goeth forthe to the Caldeans, ſhal liue: for he ſhal haue his life for a pray, and ſhal liue.
3.Thus ſaith the Lord, This citie ſhal ſurely be giuen into the hand of the King of Babels armie, which ſhal take it.
4.Therefore the princes ſaid vnto the King, We beſeche you, let this man be put to death: for thus he  weakeneth the hands of the men of warre that remaine in this citie, and the hands of all the people, in ſpeaking ſuche wordes vnto them: for this man ſeketh not the wealth of this people, but the hurt.
5.Then Zedekiáh the King ſaid, Beholde, he is in your hands, for the King can denie you nothing.
6.Then toke they Ieremiáh, and caſt him into the dongeon of Malchiáh the ſonne of Hammélech, that was in the court of the priſon: and they let downe Ieremiáh with coards: and in the dongeon there was no water but myre: ſo Ieremiáh ſtacke faſt in the myre.
7.Now when Ebed-mélech the blacke More one of the Eunuches, which was in the Kings houſe, heard that they had put Ieremiáh in the dongeon( then the King ſate in the gate of Beniamín)
8.And Ebed-mélech wẽt out of the Kings houſe, and ſpake to the King, ſaying,
9.My lord the King, theſe men haue done euil in all that they haue done to Ieremiáh the Prophet, whome they haue caſt into the dongeon, and he dyeth for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the citie.
10.Then the King commanded Ebed-mélech the blacke More, ſaying, Take fró hence thirtie men with thee, and take Ieremiáh the Prophet out of the dongeon before he dye.
11.So Ebed-mélech toke the men with him and went to the houſe of the King vnder the treaſurie, and toke there olde rotten ragges, and olde worne cloutes, and let them downe by coardes into the dongeon to Ieremiáh.
12.And Ebed-mélech the blacke More ſaid vnto Ieremiáh, Put now theſe olde rotten ragges and worne vnder thine arme holes, betwene the coardes. And Ieremiáh did ſo.
13.So they drewe vp Ieremiáh with coardes and toke him vp out of the dongeon, and Ieremiáh remained in the court of the priſon.
14.¶ Then Zedekiáh the King ſent, and toke Ieremiáh the Prophet vnto him, into the third entrie that is in the Houſe of the Lord, & the King ſaid vnto Ieremiáh, I wil aſke thee a thing: hide nothing from me.
15.Then Ieremiáh ſaid to Zedekiáh, If I declare it vnto thee, wilt not thou ſlaye me? and if I giue thee counſel, thou wilt not heare me.
16.So the King ſware ſecretly vnto Ieremiáh, ſaying, As the Lord liueth, that made vs theſe ſoules, I wil not ſlaie thee, nor giue thee into the hands of thoſe men that ſeke thy life.
17.Then ſaid Ieremiáh vnto Zedekiáh, Thus ſaith the Lord God of hoſtes, the God of Iſraél, If thou wilt go forthe vnto the King of Babels princes, then thy ſoule ſhal liue, and this citie ſhal not be burnt vp with fyre, and thou ſhalt liue, and thine houſe.
18.But if thou wilt not go forthe to yͤ King of Babels princes, then ſhal this citie be giuen into the hand of the Caldeans, and thei ſhal burne it with fyre, and thou ſhalt not eſcape out of their hands.
19.And Zedekiáh the King ſaid vnto Ieremiáh, I am careful for the Iewes that are fled vnto the Caldeans, leſt thei deliuer me into their hands, and thei mocke me.
20.But Ieremiáh ſaid, Thei ſhal not deliuer thee: hearken vnto the voice of the Lord, I beſeche thee, which I ſpeake vnto thee: ſo ſhal it be wel vnto thee, and thy ſoule ſhal liue.
21.But if thou wilt refuſe to go forthe, this is the worde yͤ the Lord hathe ſhewed me.
22.And beholde, all the women that are left in the King of Iudahs houſe, ſhalbe broght forthe to yͤ King of Babels princes: and thoſe women ſhal ſay, Thy friendes haue perſuaded thee, and haue preuailed againſt thee: thy fete are faſtened in the myre, and thei are turned backe.
23.So thei ſhal bring out all thy wiues, and thy children to the Caldeans, and thou ſhalt not eſcape out of their hands, but ſhalt be taken by the hand of the King of Babél: and this citie ſhalt thou cauſe to be burnt with fyre.
24.Then ſaid Zedekiáh vnto Ieremiáh, Let no man knowe of theſe wordes, and thou ſhalt not dye.
25.But if the princes vnderſtand that I haue talked with thee, and thei come vnto thee, and ſay vnto thee, Declare vnto vs now, what thou haſt ſaid vnto the King, hide it not from vs, and we wil not ſlay thee: alſo what the King ſaid vnto thee,
26.Then ſhalt thou ſay vnto them, I humbly beſoght the King that he wolde not cauſe me to returne to Iehonathans houſe, to dye there.
27.Thé came all the princes vnto Ieremiáh and aſked him. And he tolde them according to all theſe wordes that yͤ King had commanded: ſo thei left of ſpeaking with him, for the matter was not perceiued.
28.So Ieremiáh abode ſtil in yͤ court of the priſon, vntil the day that Ieruſalém was taken: and he was there, when Ieruſalém was taken.

Notes

1:a.
For Zedekiáh had ſent theſe to Ieremiáh to inquire of the Lord for the ſtate of the coūtrey now whē Nebuchad-nezzár came, as Chap 21,1.
2:b.
Read Chap. 21,9.
4:".
"Or, diſcourageth.
4:c.
Thus we ſe how the wicked when they can not abide to heare ye trueth of Gods worde, ſeke to put the miniſters to death as tranſgreſſors of policies.
5:d.
Wherein he grieuouſly offended in that that not onely he wolde not heare the trueth ſpoken by the Prophet, but alſo gaue him to ye luſts of the wicked to be cruelly intreated
7:".
"Ebr. Cuſhite, or Ethiopian.
7:e.
To heare matters & giue ſentence.
9:f.
Hereby is declared that the Prophet founde more fauour at this ſtrāgers hands then he did by all them of his coūtrey which was to their great condemnatiō.
10:".
"Ebr vnder thine hand.
13:g.
Where the King had ſet him before to be at more libertie, as Chap 37,21.
18:h.
And yelde thy ſelf vnto them.
19:i.
Which declareth that he more feared the reproche of men, then yͤ threatenings of God.
22:k.
When Ieconiah and his mother with others were caryed away, the few ome of the Kings houſe were left: wͤ ſhalbe taken, ſaith the Prophet, and tel yͤ King of Babél how Zedekiah hathe bene ſeduced by his familiar friẽds and falſe Prophetes, which haue left him in the myre.
26:l.
Herein, appeareth the infirmitie of the Prophet, who did diſſemble to ſaue his life albeit it was not to the denial of his doctrine, or to yͤ hurte of any.