Jeremiah 38

vayyishma shefatyah ven-mattan ugedalyahu ben-pashkhur veyukhal ben-shelemyahu ufashkhur ben-malkiyyah et-haddevarim asher yirmeyahu medabber el-kol-ha'am lemor

Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard what Jeremiah was saying to all the people:

koh amar Adonai hayyoshev ba'ir hazzot yamut bakherev bara'av uvaddaver vehayyotse el-hakkasdim (ykhyh) [vekhayah] vehayetah-llo nafsho leshalal vakhay

“Thus said GOD: Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans shall live; he shall at least gain his life and shall live.

koh amar Adonai hinnaton tinnaten ha'ir hazzot beyad khel melekh-bavel ulekhadah

Thus said GOD: This city shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon’s army, and he shall capture it.”

vayyomeru hassarim el-hammelekh yumat na et-ha'ish hazzeh ki-al-ken hu-merappe et-yede anshe hammilkhamah hannisharim ba'ir hazzot ve'et yede khol-ha'am ledabber alehem kaddevarim ha'elleh ki ha'ish hazzeh enennu doresh leshalom la'am hazzeh ki im-lera'ah

Then the officials said to the king, “Let that man be put to death, for he disheartens the soldiers, and all the people who are left in this city, by speaking such things to them. That man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm!”

vayyomer hammelekh tsidqiyyahu hinneh-hu beyedkhem ki-en hammelekh yukhal etkhem davar

King Zedekiah replied, “He is in your hands; the king cannot oppose you in anything!”

vayyiqkhu et-yirmeyahu vayyashlikhu oto el-habbor malkiyyahu ven-hammelekh asher bakhatsar hammattarah vayeshallekhu et-yirmeyahu bakhavalim uvabbor en-mayim ki im-tit vayyitba yirmeyahu battit

So they took Jeremiah and put him down in the pit of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the prison compound; they let Jeremiah down by ropes. There was no water in the pit, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

vayyishma eved-melekh hakkushi ish saris vehu bevet hammelekh ki-natenu et-yirmeyahu el-habbor vehammelekh yoshev besha'ar binyamin

Ebed-melech the Cushite, a eunuch who was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the pit. The king was then sitting at the Benjamin Gate;

vayyetse eved-melekh mibbet hammelekh vayedabber el-hammelekh lemor

so Ebed-melech left the king’s palace, and spoke to the king:

adoni hammelekh here'u ha'anashim ha'elleh et kol-asher asu leyirmeyahu hannavi et asher-hishlikhu el-habbor vayyamot takhtayw mippene hara'av ki en hallekhem od ba'ir

“O lord king, those men have acted wickedly in all they did to the prophet Jeremiah; they have put him down in the pit, to die there of hunger.” For there was no more bread in the city.

vayetsavveh hammelekh et eved-melekh hakkushi lemor qakh beyadekha mizzeh sheloshim anashim veha'alita et-yirmeyahu hannavi min-habbor beterem yamut

Then the king instructed Ebed-melech the Cushite, “Take with you thirty men from here, and pull the prophet Jeremiah up from the pit before he dies.”

vayyiqqakh eved-melekh et-ha'anashim beyado vayyavo vet-hammelekh el-takhat ha'otsar vayyiqqakh misham beloye (hskhvvt) [sekhavot] uveloye melakhim vayeshallekhem el-yirmeyahu el-habbor bakhavalim

So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the treasury. There they got worn cloths and rags, which they let down to Jeremiah in the pit by ropes.

vayyomer eved-melekh hakkushi el-yirmeyahu sim na belo'e hassekhavot vehammelakhim takhat atsilot yadekha mittakhat lakhavalim vayya'as yirmeyahu ken

And Ebed-melech the Cushite called to Jeremiah, “Put the worn cloths and rags under your armpits, inside the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,

vayyimshekhu et-yirmeyahu bakhavalim vayya'alu oto min-habbor vayyeshev yirmeyahu bakhatsar hammattarah

and they pulled Jeremiah up by the ropes and got him out of the pit. And Jeremiah remained in the prison compound.

vayyishlakh hammelekh tsidqiyyahu vayyiqqakh et-yirmeyahu hannavi elayw el-mavo hashelishi asher bevet Adonai vayyomer hammelekh el-yirmeyahu sho'el ani otekha davar al-tekhakhed mimmenni davar

King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah, and had him brought to him at the third entrance of the House of GOD. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I want to ask you something; don’t conceal anything from me.”

vayyomer yirmeyahu el-tsidqiyyahu ki aggid lekha halo hamet temiteni vekhi i'atsekha lo tishma elay

Jeremiah answered the king, “If I tell you, you’ll surely kill me; and if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me.”

vayyishava hammelekh tsidqiyyahu el-yirmeyahu basseter lemor khay-Adonai (t) asher asah-lanu et-hannefesh hazzot im-amitekha ve'im-ettenkha beyad ha'anashim ha'elleh asher mevaqshim et-nafshekha

Thereupon King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah on oath: “As GOD lives who has given us this life, I will not put you to death or leave you in the hands of those who seek your life.”

vayyomer yirmeyahu el-tsidqiyyahu koh-amar Adonai elohe tseva'ot elohe yisra'el im-yatso tetse el-sare melekh-bavel vekhayetah nafshekha veha'ir hazzot lo tissaref ba'esh vekhayitah attah uvetekha

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down. You and your household will live.

ve'im lo-tetse el-sare melekh bavel venittenah ha'ir hazzot beyad hakkasdim userafuha ba'esh ve'attah lo-timmalet miyyadam

But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, who will burn it down; and you will not escape from them.”

vayyomer hammelekh tsidqiyyahu el-yirmeyahu ani do'eg et-hayyehudim asher nafelu el-hakkasdim pen-yittenu oti beyadam vehitallelu-vi

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have defected to the Chaldeans; that they [the Chaldeans] might hand me over to them to abuse me.”

vayyomer yirmeyahu lo yittenu shema-na beqol Adonai la'asher ani dover elekha veyitav lekha utekhi nafshekha

“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Listen to GOD’s voice, to what I tell you, that it may go well with you and your life be spared.

ve'im-ma'en attah latset zeh haddavar asher hirani Adonai

For this is what GOD has shown me if you refuse to surrender:

vehinneh khol-hannashim asher nisharu bevet melekh-yehudah mutsa'ot el-sare melekh bavel vehennah omerot hissitukha veyakhelu lekha anshe shelomekha hotbe'u vabbots raglekha nasogu akhor

All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah shall be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and they shall say: Those who were your friends Have seduced you and vanquished you. Now that your feet are sunk in the mire, They have turned their backs [on you].

ve'et-kol-nashekha ve'et-banekha motsi'im el-hakkasdim ve'attah lo-timmalet miyyadam ki veyad melekh-bavel tittafes ve'et-ha'ir hazzot tisrof ba'esh

They will bring out all your wives and children to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from them. You will be captured by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned down.”

vayyomer tsidqiyyahu el-yirmeyahu ish al-yeda baddevarim-ha'elleh velo tamut

Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

vekhi-yishme'u hassarim ki-dibbarti ittakh uva'u elekha ve'ameru elekha haggidah-nna lanu mah-ddibbarta el-hammelekh al-tekhakhed mimmennu velo nemitekha umah-ddibber elekha hammelekh

If the officials should hear that I have spoken with you, and they should come and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; hide nothing from us, or we’ll kill you. And what did the king say to you?’

ve'amarta alehem mappil-ani tekhinnati lifne hammelekh levilti hashiveni bet yehonatan lamut sham

say to them, ‘I was presenting my petition to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

vayyavo'u khol-hassarim el-yirmeyahu vayyishalu oto vayyagged lahem kekhol-haddevarim ha'elleh asher tsivvah hammelekh vayyakharishu mimmennu ki lo-nishma haddavar

All the officials did come to Jeremiah to question him; and he replied to them just as the king had instructed him. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not been overheard.

vayyeshev yirmeyahu bakhatsar hammattarah ad-yom asher-nilkedah yerushalai͏m vehayah ka'asher nilkedah yerushalai͏m

Jeremiah remained in the prison compound until the day Jerusalem was captured. When Jerusalem was captured…