Jeremiah 38 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah had been telling all the people:

"This is what Yahweh says: Anyone who stays in this city will die — by war, by famine, or by disease. But anyone who goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians will live. They'll escape with their lives and survive."

"This is what Yahweh says: This city will definitely be handed over to the army of Babylon's king, and he will capture it."

So the officials said to the king, "This man needs to be put to death. He's destroying the morale of the soldiers still left in this city and all the people by saying things like this. This man isn't working for the good of the people — he's working for their ruin."

King Zedekiah said, "Look, he's in your hands. The king can't do anything to stop you."

So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern — only mud — and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

But Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,

Ebed-Melech left the palace and went to the king. He said,

"My lord the king, these men have done something terrible in everything they've done to Jeremiah the prophet. They've thrown him into the cistern, and he's going to die of starvation right there, because there's no more bread left in the city."

Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men from here with you and pull Jeremiah the prophet up out of the cistern before he dies."

So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to the palace, to a room under the treasury. From there he took worn-out rags and old clothes and lowered them down to Jeremiah in the cistern with ropes.

Ebed-Melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, "Put these worn-out rags and old clothes under your arms, under the ropes." And Jeremiah did.

They pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance of Yahweh's temple. The king said to Jeremiah, "I'm going to ask you something. Don't hide anything from me."

Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you the truth, you'll have me killed. And if I give you advice, you won't listen to me anyway."

But King Zedekiah swore an oath to Jeremiah in secret: "As surely as Yahweh lives — the one who gave us this life — I won't kill you, and I won't hand you over to the men who want you dead."

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what Yahweh, the God who commands armies, the God of Israel, says: If you surrender to the officials of Babylon's king, you'll live, and this city won't be burned down. You and your family will survive."

"But if you don't surrender to the officials of Babylon's king, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They'll burn it to the ground, and you won't escape them."

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I'm afraid of the Judeans who have already deserted to the Babylonians. They might hand me over to them, and they'll abuse me."

Jeremiah answered, "They won't hand you over. Listen — really listen — to Yahweh's voice through what I'm telling you, and it will go well for you. You'll live."

"But if you refuse to surrender, this is what Yahweh has shown me:"

"All the women left in the palace of Judah's king will be brought out to the officials of Babylon's king. And those women will say to you: 'Your own trusted friends misled you and overpowered you. Your feet are stuck in the mud, and they've abandoned you.'"

"All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself won't escape them. You'll be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned to the ground."

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone find out about this conversation, or you'll die."

"If the officials hear that I talked with you and come to you demanding, 'Tell us what you said to the king, and what the king said to you — don't hide anything from us or we'll kill you,'"

"then tell them, 'I was bringing my plea before the king, begging him not to send me back to Jonathan's house to die there.'"

And sure enough, all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. He told them exactly what the king had instructed him to say. So they left him alone, because no one had overheard the actual conversation.

Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. And he was still there when Jerusalem fell.