Yaram'Yahu (Jeremiah) — 38

Yaramyahu in the Dungeon

1 Now Shamayahu the son of Mattan, Gadalyahu the son of Pashhur, Yucal the son of Shalamyahu, and Pashhur the son of Malchyahu heard the words that Yaramyahu had spoken to all the people, saying, 

2 “Thus says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH: ‘he who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldaans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’ 

3 Thus says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH: ‘this city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylun’s army, which shall take it.’ ”

4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.”

5 Then Zadakyahu the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.” 

6 So they took Yaramyahu and cast him into the dungeon of Malchyahu the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Yaramyahu down with ropes, And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Yaramyahu sank in the mire.

7 Now Abad-Malach the Athiupian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Yaramyahu in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Banyamin, 

8 Abad-Malach went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: 

9 “My master the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Yaramyahu the Nabym, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.” 

10 Then the king commanded Abad-Malach the Athiupian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Yaramyahu the Nabym out of the dungeon before he dies.” 

11 So Abad-Malach took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Yaramyahu. 

12 Then Abad-Malach said to Yaramyahu, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” and Yaramyahu did so. 

13 So they pulled Yaramyahu up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Yaramyahu remained in the court of the prison.

Zadakyahu’s Fears and Yaramyahu’s Advice

14 Then Zedekiahu the king sent and had Yaramyahu the Nabym brought to him at the third entrance of the house of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH And the king said to Yaramyahu, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.”

15 Yaramyahu said to Zadakyahu, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16 So Zadakyahu the king swore secretly to Yaramyahu, saying, “As  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”

17 Then Yaramyahu said to Zadakyah, “Thus says 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Tsaba'ut the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL: ‘If you surely surrender to the king of Babylun’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 

18 But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylun’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldaans; they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’ ”

19 And Zadakyahu the king said to Yaramyahu, “I am afraid of the Yahudym who have defected to the Chaldaans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.”

20 But Yaramyahu said, “they shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH which I speak to you, So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live. 

21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the Dabar that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has shown me: 

22 ‘Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Yahudah’s house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylun’s princes, and those women shall say: “Your close friends have set upon you and prevailed against you; Your feet have sunk in the mire, and they have turned away again.”

23 ‘So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldaans, you shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylun, and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”

24 Then Zadakyahu said to Yaramyahu, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 

25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death,’ 

26 then you shall say to them, ‘I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return to Yunathan’s house to die there.’ ”

27 Then all the princes came to Yaramyahu and asked him, and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded, So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been heard. 

28 Now Yaramyahu remained in the court of the prison until the day that Yahushalam was taken, and he was there when Yahushalam was taken.