Jeremiah Is Held Prisoner in a Dry Well
1 One day, Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehucal, and Pashhur heard me tell the people of Judah 2-3 that the Lord had said, “If you stay here in Jerusalem, you will die in battle or from disease or hunger, and the Babylonian army will capture the city anyway. But if you surrender to the Babylonians, they will let you live.”
4 So the four of them went to the king and said, “You should put Jeremiah to death, because he is making the soldiers and everyone else lose hope. He isn't trying to help our people; he's trying to harm them.”
5 Zedekiah replied, “Do what you want with him. I can't stop you.”
6 Then they took me back to the courtyard of the palace guards and let me down with ropes into the well that belonged to Malchiah, the king's son. There was no water in the well, but I sank down in the mud.
7-8 Ebedmelech from Ethiopia was an official at the palace, and he heard what they had done to me. So he went to speak with King Zedekiah, who was holding court at Benjamin Gate. 9 Ebedmelech said, “Your Majesty, Jeremiah is a prophet, and those men were wrong to throw him into a well. And when Jerusalem runs out of food, Jeremiah will starve to death down there.”
10 Zedekiah answered, “Take 30 of my soldiers and pull Jeremiah out before he dies.”
11 Ebedmelech and the soldiers went to the palace and got some rags from the room under the treasury. He used ropes to lower them into the well. 12 Then he said, “Put these rags under your arms so the ropes won't hurt you.” After I did, 13 the men pulled me out. And from then on, I was kept in the courtyard of the palace guards.
King Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah
14 King Zedekiah had me brought to his private entrance to the temple, and he said, “I'm going to ask you something, and I want to know the truth.”
15 “Why?” I replied. “You won't listen, and you might even have me killed!”
16 He said, “I swear in the name of the living Lord our Creator that I won't have you killed. No one else can hear what we say, and I won't let anyone kill you.”
17 Then I told him that the Lord had said: “Zedekiah, I am the Lord God All-Powerful, the God of Israel. I promise that if you surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar's officers, you and your family won't be killed, and Jerusalem won't be burned down. 18 But if you don't surrender, I will let the Babylonian army capture Jerusalem and burn it down, and you will be taken prisoner.”
19 Zedekiah answered, “I can't surrender to the Babylonians. I'm too afraid of the people of Judah who have already joined them. The Babylonians might hand me over to them, and they would torture me.”
20 I said, “If you will just obey the Lord, the Babylonians won't hand you over to those Jews. You will be allowed to live, and all will go well for you. 21 But the Lord has shown me that if you refuse to obey, 22 then the women of your palace will be taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar's officials. And those women will say to you:
Friends you trusted led you astray.
Now you're trapped in mud,
and those friends you trusted
have all turned away.
23 The Babylonian army will take your wives and children captive, you will be taken as a prisoner to the King of Babylonia, and Jerusalem will be burned down.”
24 Zedekiah said, “Jeremiah, if you tell anyone what we have talked about, you might lose your life. 25 And I'm sure that if my officials hear about our meeting, they will ask you what we said to each other. They might even threaten to kill you if you don't tell them. 26 So if they question you, tell them you were begging me not to send you back to the prison at Jonathan's house, because going back there would kill you.”
27 The officials did come and question me about my meeting with the king, and I told them exactly what he had ordered me to say. They never spoke to me about the meeting again, since no one had heard us talking.
28 I was held in the courtyard of the palace guards until the day Jerusalem was captured.
1 Kad Sefatja, Matana dēls, Gedalja, Pašchura dēls, un Juhals, Šelemjas dēls, un Pašchurs, Malkijas dēls, dzirdēja, ko Jeremija runāja uz visu tautu, sacīdams:
2 „Tā saka tas Kungs:, Kas šeit paliks pilsētā, tas mirs no zobena, no bada un mēra, bet kas pāries pie kaldē-jiem, tas paliks dzīvs un paglābsies drošībā.“
3 Jo tā saka tas Kungs: „Šī pilsēta noteikti kritīs Bābeles ķēniņa kajraspēka rokās: ķēniņš to ieņems.“
4 Tad augstākie pārvaldnieki sacīja ķēniņam: „Šis vīrs ir sodāms ar nāvi, jo viņš nokauj drosmi visiem kareivjiem, kas vēl atlikuši šinī pilsētā, un iedveš izmisumu visiem iedzīvotājiem, runādams tiem tādus vārdus. Tiešām, šis vīrs nemeklē tautas labumu, bet tautas nelaimi!“
5 Tad ķēniņš Cedekija tiem atbildēja: „Labi! Nododu viņu jūsu rīcībā, jo ķēniņš pret jums jau tā kā tā neko nespēj.“
6 Tad tie ņēma Jeremiju un ieslodzīja to ķēniņa dēla Malkijas ūdens tvertnē, kas atradās pils pagalmā. Jeremiju nolaida tanī ar virvēm. Tvertnē nebija ūdens, bet tikai dubji, un Jeremija iegrima dubļos.
7 Kad aitiopietis Ebedmelechs, ķēniņa kalps un galminieks, dzirdēja, ka Jeremiju ieslodzījuši tvertnē,
8 Tad viņš atstāja ķēniņa pili un griezās pie ķēniņa, kas tanī bridī sēdēja Benjamiņa vārtos, ar šādu ziņojumu:
9 „Mans kungs un ķēniņ! Tie vīri, kas Jeremiju iemeta bedrē, ir rīkojušies netaisni un nodarījuši viņam ļaunu. Tur viņam jānomirst badā!“ Jo pilsēta vairs nebija maizes.
10 Tad ķēniņš pavēlēja aitiopietim Ebedmelecham, ķēniņa kalpam: „Ņem no šejienes trīs vīrus un izvelc pravieti Jeremiju no ūdens tvertnes, pirms viņš mirst!“
11 Tad ķēniņa kalps Ebedmelechs ņēma tos trīs vīrus un gāja ķēniņa nama noliktavas apakšējās telpās, sameklēja tur vecu novalkātu drēbju lupatas un ielaida tās ar virvēm Jeremijam tvertnē.
12 Un ķēniņa kalps sacīja Jeremijam: „Liec veco drēbju lupatas sev padusēs zem virvēm!“ —un Jeremija tā darīja.
13 Tad tie viņu izvilka ar virvēm no tvertnes. Tā Jeremija palika pils sardzes cietumā.
14 Pēc tam ķēniņš Cedekija sūtīja savu kalpu un lika pasaukt Jeremiju pie sevis tā Kunga nama trešajā ieejā. Tur ķēniņš Cedekija sacīja Jeremijam: „Es tev ko jautāšu, neapslēp man nekā!“
15 Jeremija atbildēja Cedekijam: „Kad es tev to sacīšu, tad tu liksi mani nokaut, un kad es tev došu padomu, tu tomēr man neklausīsi.“
16 Tad ķēniņš Cedekija deva slepenībā Jeremijam zvērestu, sacīdams: „Tik tiešām, ka tas Kungs dzīvo, kas radījis mūsu dvēseli, es tevi nenokaušu un neizdošu tiem vīriem, kas tīko pēc tavas dzīvības!“
17 Tad Jeremija sacīja Cedekijam: „Tā saka tas Kungs Cebaots, īsraēla Dievs: „Ja tu padosies Bābeles ķēniņa virsniekiem, tad tu paliksi dzīvs, un šī pilsēta netiks nodedzināta, tu dzīvosi un tava ģimene.
18 Bet ja tu nepadosies Bābeles ķēniņa virsniekiem, tad šī pilsēta kritīs kaldēju rokās, un tie to nodedzinās. Un ari tu neizglābsies no viņu rokām.“
19 Ķēniņš Cedekija sacīja Jeremijam: „Es baidos, ka tikai mani neizdotu tiem jūdiešiem, kas jau agrāk pārgājuši pie kaldējiem, un tie mani neapsmietu.“
20 Bet Jeremija viņam atbildēja: „Tevi neizdos! Klausi tā Kunga balsi, ko es tev saku, un tev labi klāsies, un tu paliksi dzīvs.
21 Bet ja tu liegsies padoties, tad šis ir tas vārds, ko tas Kungs man atklāja:
22 Redzi, visas sievas, kas vēl pali-kušas Jūdas ķēniņa pilī, izvedīs pie Bābeles ķēniņa virsniekiem, un tās tev sacīs: Pievīluši un maldinājuši ir tevi tavi mierinātāji un uzticamie draugi! Un kad tavas kājas iegrimušas un iesti gušas dubļos, tie tevi atstājuši! —
23 Visas tavas sievas un tavus bērnus aizvedīs pie kaldējiem, un arī tu pats neizglābsies no tiem, tu kritīsi Bābeles ķēniņa rokās, un šī pilsēta izgaisīs uguns liesmās!“
24 Tad Cedekija sacīja Jeremijam: „Nevienam nav jāzina, ko mēs runājām, lai tu nemirtu!
25 Bet ja mūsu labieši dabūtu zināt, ka es esmu ar tevi runājis, un tie nāktu pie tevis un teiktu tev: Saki mums, ko tu runāji ar ķēniņu, neslēp mums nekā, mēs tevi neaiztiksim, un ko ķēniņš tev teica? —
26 Tad atbildi tiem: Es lūdzu ķēni-ņam, lai viņš mani neliek vest atpakaļ Jonatāna namā, kur man būtu jāmirst.“
27 Kad visi labieši tiešām nāca pie Jeremijas un tam jautāja, tad viņš tiem atbildēja, kā ķēniņš bija noteicis. Tad tie atstāja viņu mierā, jo saruna nebija izpaudusies atklātībā.
28 Tā Jeremija palika pils sardzes pagalma cietumā līdz tai dienai, kad Jeruzālemi ieņēma.
