1Der var imidlertid fire mænd ved navn Shefatja, Gedalja, Jukal og Pashhur, som ønskede at lukke munden på mig. De havde jo hørt, hvordan jeg gang på gang havde advaret folket med det budskab,2som Herren havde givet mig: „De, der bliver i Jerusalem, vil dø af hungersnød eller sygdom eller blive dræbt i krigen. Men de, der overgiver sig til babylonierne, vil overleve.3Herren vil nemlig overgive Jerusalem til Babyloniens konge, som vil indtage byen.”4De fire mænd gik til kongen og sagde: „Herre, vi må uskadeliggøre Jeremias. Hans budskaber undergraver hærens moral. Han skaber en negativ stemning blandt de krigere, vi endnu har tilbage, og hele befolkningen i byen. Han er en forræder, som ikke ønsker, at vi skal reddes, men at vi skal rammes af ulykke.”5Kong Zidkija gav efter og sagde: „Gør med ham, som I vil.”6Så hentede de mig og firede mig ned i et tom vandreservoir i gården. Den tilhørte Malkija, der var medlem af kongefamilien. Der var intet vand i den, men der var stadig et tykt lag mudder på bunden, så jeg sank ned i mudderet.7Men da kushitten Ebed-Melek, en af de ledende hoffolk, hørte, at jeg var blevet kastet i det tomme vandreservoir,8skyndte han sig straks til kongen, som på det tidspunkt var i færd med at dømme i nogle retssager på pladsen foran Benjaminporten.9„Herre konge,” sagde han. „Der er begået en meget ondsindet handling imod profeten Jeremias. Man har kastet ham i et tomt vandreservoir, og dér vil han dø af sult, for han får ingen mad.”10Da befalede kongen: „Tag 30 mænd med dig og få hejst Jeremias op af vandreservoiret, før han dør.”11Så skyndte Ebed-Melek og mændene sig af sted til et af paladsets nederste kælderrum, hvor de hentede nogle kasserede klude, som de hejste ned i vandreservoiret med et reb.12„Bind rebet omkring dig og læg kludene imellem rebet og dine armhuler,” råbte Ebed-Melek, og da jeg havde gjort det,13trak de mig op af vandreservoiret og bragte mig tilbage til min husarrest.
Zidkija spørger endnu en gang Jeremias til råds
14En dag sendte kong Zidkija bud efter mig og bad mig komme hen til den tredje indgang til templet. „Jeg har et spørgsmål til dig,” begyndte kongen. „Prøv nu ikke at skjule sandheden for mig.”15„Jamen, hvis jeg fortæller dig sandheden, slår du mig bare ihjel,” svarede jeg. „Og for øvrigt følger du aldrig mine råd.”16Så svor kong Zidkija ved den levende Gud, at han hverken ville slå mig ihjel eller udlevere mig til dem, der ønskede at få ram på mig.17Da sagde jeg til ham: „Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud, siger: Hvis du vil overgive dig til de babyloniske officerer, vil du og din familie overleve, og byen vil blive skånet.18Men hvis du nægter at overgive dig, vil den babyloniske hær brænde byen ned til grunden, og du har ingen chance for at undslippe.”19„Men jeg er bange for at overgive mig,” svarede kongen, „for babylonierne vil sikkert udlevere mig til de judæiske overløbere, og hvem ved, hvad de vil gøre ved mig?”20„Hvis du vil adlyde Herren,” svarede jeg, „har du ikke noget at frygte. Du vil redde livet, og du vil få det bedre, end du har det her.21Men hvis du nægter at overgive dig, så kan jeg fortælle dig, hvad der vil ske, for det har Herren vist mig i et syn:22Alle paladsets kvinder blev udleveret til de babyloniske officerer. Og de sang en smædevise om dig: Hvorfor troede du dine venners ord? De førte dig jo ud på det forkerte spor. Og da du så stod midt i ulykken, vendte de dig bare ryggen.23Alle dine koner og børn vil blive udleveret til babylonierne, og du har ingen chance for at undslippe. Du bliver taget til fange, og byen bliver brændt ned til grunden.”24Da sagde Zidkija til mig: „Lad det her blive imellem os to. Hvis du røber for nogen, hvad du her har sagt, er du dødsens.25Hvis mine hoffolk får nys om vores samtale, og hvis de truer dig med døden, medmindre du fortæller dem, hvad vi har talt om,26skal du sige til dem: ‚Jeg bad bare kongen love mig, at han aldrig igen vil kaste mig i fangehullet i Jonatans hus.’ ”27Hoffolkene kom da også hen til mig og ville krydsforhøre mig om mit møde med kongen. Jeg gjorde nøjagtigt, som kongen havde sagt. Derefter lod de mig være i fred, for ingen havde hørt, hvad jeg snakkede med kongen om.28Således forblev jeg i husarrest på paladsets område, indtil den dag da Jerusalem blev indtaget.
1Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: (Jer 20,1; Jer 37,3)2“Thus says the Lord: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. (Jer 21,9; Jer 38,17)3Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” (Jer 32,3)4Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” (Jer 6,24; Jer 26,11; Jer 33,9)5King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” (Jer 38,24)6So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. (1.Mos 37,24; Salm 69,14; Jer 32,2; Jer 37,16; Jer 38,11; Jer 38,13; Zak 9,11)
Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern
7When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— (Es 56,3; Jer 29,2; Jer 37,13; Jer 39,16; Ap G 8,27)8Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, (Jer 38,7)9“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” (Jer 11,22; Jer 14,16; Jer 14,18; Jer 19,9; Jer 37,21)10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” (Jer 38,7)11So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. (Jer 38,6; Jer 38,7)12Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. (Jer 38,7; Jer 38,11)13Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. (Jer 38,6; Jer 38,11)
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again
14King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.”15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.”16Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” (Ruth 3,13; Es 57,16; Jer 37,17; Jer 38,1)17Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. (2.Kong 24,12; Jer 27,12; Jer 34,4; Jer 38,2; Jer 38,21; Jer 39,3)18But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” (Jer 21,10; Jer 38,17)19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.” (Jer 37,13)20Jeremiah said, “You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. (Jer 40,9)21But if you refuse to surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me: (Jer 38,17)22Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying, “‘Your trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you; now that your feet are sunk in the mud, they turn away from you.’ (Jer 20,10)23All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.” (Jer 39,6; Jer 41,10; Jer 43,6)24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.25If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’ (Jer 38,5)26then you shall say to them, ‘I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” (Jer 37,20)27Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard.28And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken. (Jer 32,2)