Jeremiah Is Imprisoned and Rescued from the Cistern

King Zedekiah ruled in Judah, but he, his servants, and the people did not listen to the Lord's words spoken through Jeremiah. Even so, the king sent messengers asking Jeremiah to pray. When Egypt's army came out, Babylon's army pulled back from Jerusalem for a time. Then the Lord gave Jeremiah a message: Egypt would go home, the Babylonians would return, and the city would still be captured and burned.

While the Babylonian army had withdrawn, Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin. At the Benjamin Gate, a guard accused him of deserting to the Babylonians. Jeremiah said the charge was false, but the guard would not listen. The officials were angry, struck Jeremiah, and shut him in a prison at Jonathan's house, where he stayed many days.

Later King Zedekiah secretly sent for Jeremiah and asked if there was any word from the Lord. Jeremiah answered plainly that the king would be handed over to Babylon's king. Jeremiah also asked why he had been imprisoned and begged not to be sent back to Jonathan's house, where he might die. So the king placed him in the court of the guard and gave him bread each day while any bread remained in the city.

Some leading men heard Jeremiah telling the people that the city would be given into Babylon's hand, and that those who stayed would die, but those who went out to the Chaldeans would live. They told the king that Jeremiah was weakening the people, and the king let them do as they wished. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into a cistern in the court of the guard. There was no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into it.

Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian and a eunuch in the king's house, heard what had happened. He told the king that these men had acted wickedly and that Jeremiah might die there because of the famine. The king ordered Ebedmelech to take men and bring Jeremiah out before he died. Ebedmelech sent down old cloths with the ropes, and they pulled Jeremiah up from the cistern. After that, Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

The king again met Jeremiah in secret and asked for God's word. Jeremiah warned him that if he went out to the king of Babylon's princes, he and his household would live and the city would not be burned. But if he refused, the city would be burned and he would not escape. Zedekiah told Jeremiah to keep their talk quiet. When the officials questioned him, Jeremiah answered as the king had instructed, and he remained in the court of the guard until Jerusalem was taken.