The Hebrew Prophets

And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

`Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Thus do ye say unto the king of Judah, who is sending you unto Me, to seek Me: Lo, the force of Pharaoh that is coming out to you for help hath turned back to its land, to Egypt,

and the Chaldeans have turned back, and fought against this city, and captured it, and burnt it with fire.

`Thus said Jehovah: Lift not up your souls saying, The Chaldeans surely go from off us, for they do not go;

for though ye had smitten all the force of the Chaldeans who are fighting with you, and there were left of them wounded men--each in his tent--they rise, and have burnt this city with fire.'

And it hath come to pass, in the going up of the force of the Chaldeans from off Jerusalem, because of the force of Pharaoh,

that Jeremiah goeth out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin, to receive a portion thence in the midst of the people.

And it cometh to pass, he is at the gate of Benjamin, and there is a master of the ward--and his name is Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah--and he catcheth Jeremiah the prophet, saying, `Unto the Chaldeans thou art falling.'

And Jeremiah saith, `Falsehood--I am not falling unto the Chaldeans;' and he hath not hearkened unto him, and Irijah layeth hold on Jeremiah, and bringeth him in unto the heads,

and the heads are wroth against Jeremiah, and have smitten him, and put him in the prison-house--the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it they had made for a prison-house.

When Jeremiah hath entered into the house of the dungeon, and unto the cells, then Jeremiah dwelleth there many days,

and the king Zedekiah sendeth, and taketh him, and the king asketh him in his house in secret, and saith, `Is there a word from Jehovah?' And Jeremiah saith, `There is,' and he saith, `Into the hand of the king of Babylon thou art given.'

And Jeremiah saith unto the king Zedekiah, `What have I sinned against thee, and against thy servants, and against this people, that ye have given me unto a prison-house?

And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babylon doth not come in against you, and against this land?

And now, hearken, I pray thee, my lord, O king, let my supplication fall, I pray thee, before thee, and cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I die not there.'

And the king Zedekiah commandeth, and they commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, also to give to him a cake of bread daily from the bakers' street, till the consumption of all the bread of the city, and Jeremiah dwelleth in the court of the prison.

And Shephatiah son of Mattan, and Gedaliah son of Pashhur, and Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah, hear the words that Jeremiah is speaking unto all the people, saying,

`Thus said Jehovah: He who is remaining in this city dieth, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and he who is going forth unto the Chaldeans liveth, and his soul hath been to him for a prey, and he liveth.

Thus said Jehovah: This city is certainly given into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, and he hath captured it.'

And the heads say unto the king, `Let, we pray thee, this man be put to death, because that he is making feeble the hands of the men of war, who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking unto them according to these words, for this man is not seeking for the peace of this people, but for its evil.'

And the king Zedekiah saith, `Lo, he is in your hand: for the king is not able for you in anything.'

And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that is in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire.

And Ebed-Melech the Cushite, a eunuch who is in the king's house, heareth that they have put Jeremiah into the pit; and the king is sitting at the gate of Benjamin,

and Ebed-Melech goeth forth from the king's house, and speaketh unto the king, saying,

`My lord, O king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit, and he dieth in his place because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.'