Jeremiah 38

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Jeremiah 38:1-28 (KJV) 

1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying, 

4 men heard the words of Jeremiah.

2 Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. 

If you surrender to the Babylonians you will live and if you do not you will die.

3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it. 

The Lord without a doubt said the city will be taken over by Babylon's army.

4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. 

The four men went to the king and said, put Jeremiah to death.  They wanted him to die because they said he is discouraging the men in the army and the people are repeating what he said and this causes us to hurt.

5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he [is] in your hand: for the king [is] not [he that] can do [any] thing against you. 

Zedekiah said do what you want with him, I cannot stop you.

6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that [was] in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon [there was] no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. 

Then the 4 men by the words of Zedekiah took Jeremiah and let him down in a dungeon to die.

7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 

Then when a black man heard what they had done to Jeremiah, he went to the king;

8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, 

Ebedmelech confronted the king,

9 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for [there is] no more bread in the city. 

The black man said Jeremiah is going to die in the place these four men put him.  He will die of hunger where he is: for there is nowhere to get bread in the city where he is.

10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 

Then Zedekiah told the black man to take 30 other men with him and pull Jeremiah out before he dies.

11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 

Then the black man did what the king said to do to get Jeremiah out of the dungeon.

12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now [these] old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 

Then the black man told Jeremiah what to do.

13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. 

They pulled Jeremiah up from the dungeon and Jeremiah remained in the king's court of the prison.

14 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that [is] in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me. 

Then the king sent someone to get Jeremiah, and brought him into the third entrance of the house of the Lord: The king asked Jeremiah questions/question and said do not hide the truth.

15 Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare [it] unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? 

Jeremiah asked the king are you going to kill me if I tell you the truth?  Or if I advise you will you listen?

16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, [As] the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

The king swore he would not kill or have Jeremiah killed by the men who wanted him dead.

 17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: 

Jeremiah told Zedekiah if you obey God and surrender to the Babylonians you will live; you will live and your family will live:

18 But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. 

But if you choose not to surrender, then the city will be taken by the Chaldeans and the city will be burned and you will be captured.

19 And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. 

Zedekiah said he was afraid of the people who surrendered to the Chaldeans or Babylonians because they may turn him over to them and disrespect him.

20 But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver [thee]. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live. 

Jeremiah said no that will not happen. Just do what God said and live and you will be well.

21 But if thou refuse to go forth, this [is] the word that the LORD hath shewed me: 

But if you decide not to listen to what God is saying:

22 And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house [shall be] brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those [women] shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, [and] they are turned away back. 

The women of your house will be brought before the king of Babylon and will mock you by saying those you trusted betrayed you and left you to sink in the mud.

23 So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. 

The Babylonians will take all the wives and your children:  you will not get away, but you will be taken to Babylon:  and YOU will cause this city to be burned with fire.

24 Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. 

Zedekiah told Jeremiah, do not tell anyone what you just told me.

25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee: 

Zedekiah knew the heart of the men who supposedly served him, Zedekiah, to Jeremiah that if they approach you and say tell us what you told the king and tell us what the king said to you and we will not kill you and do not leave out any information:

26 Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there. 

He told Jeremiah to say only that he asked for permission not to have to return to the dungeon.

27 Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

The men came as Zedekiah told Jeremiah and Jeremiah told them what he was instructed to tell them by Zedekiah. After hearing what Jeremiah said the men left speaking to him.

28 So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was [there] when Jerusalem was taken.

Jeremiah stayed where the king allowed him to live until Jerusalem was taken: Jeremiah was still alive when the Babylonians captured Jerusalem.