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And Shephatyahu son of Mattan, Gedalyahu son of Pashchur, Yukhal son of Shelemyahu, and Pashchur son of Malkiyahu heard the Words that Yirmeyahu spoke to all the people, saying,
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“Thus says Yahuah: The one remaining in this city shall die by sword, famine, and pestilence. But the one going out to the Kasdim shall live, and his being shall become his spoil, and he shall live.
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Thus says Yahuah: Giving, this city shall be given into the hand of the army of the sovereign of Bavel, and he shall capture it.”
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Then the rulers said to the sovereign, “Please let this ish be put to death, for in this way he weakens the hands of the men of battle remaining in this city and the hands of all the people by speaking to them according to these Words. For this ish does not seek the shalom of this people, but their evil.”
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And Sovereign Tzidqiyahu said, “See, he is in your hand, for the sovereign is unable to prevail against you in any Word.”
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Then they took Yirmeyahu and cast him into the pit of Malkiyahu son of the sovereign, which was in the courtyard of the guard. And they let Yirmeyahu down with ropes. In the pit there was no water, but mire, and Yirmeyahu sank in the mire.
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And Eved-Melekh the Kushiy, an eunuch who was in the house of the sovereign, heard that they had put Yirmeyahu into the pit. And the sovereign was sitting at the Gate of Binyamin.
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Then Eved-Melekh went out from the house of the sovereign and spoke to the sovereign, saying,
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“My master the sovereign, these men have done evil in all that they did to Yirmeyahu the prophet, whom they cast into the pit. And he shall die there before the face of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.”
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Then the sovereign commanded Eved-Melekh the Kushiy, saying, “Take in your hand thirty men from here and cause Yirmeyahu the prophet to ascend from the pit before he dies.”
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So Eved-Melekh took the men in his hand and entered the house of the sovereign beneath the treasury. He took from there worn rags and worn garments and let them down by ropes to Yirmeyahu in the pit.
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And Eved-Melekh the Kushiy said to Yirmeyahu, “Place now the worn rags and garments beneath the joints of your arms, under the ropes.” And Yirmeyahu did so.
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Then they pulled Yirmeyahu up with the ropes and caused him to ascend from the pit. And Yirmeyahu remained in the courtyard of the guard.
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Then Sovereign Tzidqiyahu sent and took Yirmeyahu the prophet to himself at the third entrance that was in the House of Yahuah. And the sovereign said to Yirmeyahu, “I am asking you a Word. Do not hide any Word from me.”
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And Yirmeyahu said to Tzidqiyahu, “If I declare it to you, putting to death, shall you not put me to death? And if I counsel you, you shall not hear me.”
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Then Sovereign Tzidqiyahu swore secretly to Yirmeyahu, saying, “As Yahuah lives, who made for us this being, I shall not put you to death, nor shall I give you into the hand of these men who seek your being.”
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And Yirmeyahu said to Tzidqiyahu, “Thus says Yahuah, Elohim of Hosts, Elohim of Yisra’el: If going out, you go out to the rulers of the sovereign of Bavel, then your being shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you and your house shall live.
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But if you do not go out to the rulers of the sovereign of Bavel, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Kasdim, and they shall burn it with fire; and you shall not escape from their hand.”
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And Sovereign Tzidqiyahu said to Yirmeyahu, “I fear the ish of Yehudah who have fallen away to the Kasdim, lest they give me into their hand and they abuse me.”
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But Yirmeyahu said, “They shall not give you. Please hear the voice of Yahuah in the Word I speak to you, and it shall be good for you, and your being shall live.
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But if you refuse to go out, this is the Word that Yahuah has caused me to see:
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See, all the women remaining in the house of the sovereign of Yehudah shall be brought out to the rulers of the sovereign of Bavel. And they shall say, ‘The men of your shalom incited you and prevailed over you. Your feet are sunk in the mire; they have turned backward.’
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And all your women and your sons they shall bring out to the Kasdim, and you shall not escape from their hand. But by the hand of the sovereign of Bavel you shall be seized, and this city you shall cause to be burned with fire.”
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Then Tzidqiyahu said to Yirmeyahu, “Let no ish know of these Words, and you shall not die.
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And if the rulers hear that I spoke with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Declare to us now what you spoke to the sovereign. Do not hide it from us, and we shall not put you to death. And what did the sovereign speak to you?’
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then you shall say to them, ‘I caused my supplication to fall before the face of the sovereign, that he not return me to the house of Yehonatan to die there.’”
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And all the rulers came to Yirmeyahu and asked him. And he declared to them according to all these Words that the sovereign had commanded. And they became silent toward him, for the matter was not heard.
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And Yirmeyahu remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Yerushalayim was captured. And it came to be when Yerushalayim was captured—