Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern

1Saphatias the sonne off Matha, Gedolias the sonne of Pashur, Iuchal the sonne of Selamia, & Pashur the sonne of Malchias perceaued the wordes, yt Ieremy had spoke vnto all the people, namely on this maner: 2Thus saieth the LORDE: Who so remayneth in this cite, shall perish, ether with the swearde, with honger or with pestilence: But who so falleth vnto the Caldees, shal escape, wynnynge his soule for a pray, & shal lyue. 3For thus saieth the LORDE This cite (no doute) must be delyuered into ye power of the kige of Babilo, & he also shal wynne it. 4The sayde the prynces vnto ye kynge: Syr, we besech you let this man be put to death, For thus he discorageth the hodes of the soudyers yt be in this cite, & the hodes of all the people, whe he speaketh soch wordes vnto the. This ma verely laboureth not for peace of ye people, but mischefe. 5Sedechias the kinge answered and sayde: lo, he is in yor hodes, for ye kige maye denye you nothinge. 6Then toke they Ieremy, and cast him in to the dongeon off Malchias the sonne off Amalech, that dwelt in the fore entre off the preson. And they let downe Ieremy wt coardes in to a dongeon, where there was no water, but myre.

7So Ieremy stack fast in the myre. Now when Abdemelech the Morian beynge a chamberlayne in the kynges courte, vnderstode, that they had cast Ieremy in to the dongeon: 8he went out off the kynges house, and spake to the kynge (which the sat vnder the porte off Ben Iamin) these wordes: 9My lorde the kynge, where as these men medle with Ieremy the prophet, they do him wronge: Namely, in that they haue put him in preson, there to dye of honger, for there is no more bred in the cite. 10The the kynge commauded Abdemelech the Morian, and sayde: Take from hece xxx. men whom thou wilt, & drawe vp Ieremy the prophet out of the dongeon, before he dye. 11So Abdemelech toke the men wt him, & went to ye house of Amalech, & there vnder an almery he gat olde ragges & worne cloutes, & let the downe by a coarde, in to the dongeon to Ieremy. 12And Abdemelech the Morian sayde vnto the prophet Ieremy: O put these ragges and cloutes vnder thine arme holes, betwixte the and the coardes: ad Ieremy dyd so. 13So they drewe vp Ieremy with coardes and toke him out of the dongeon, and he remayned in the fore entrie of the preson.

14The Sedechias the kynge sent and caused Ieremy the prophet be called vnto him, in to the thirde entrie, that was by the house off the LORDE. And the kynge sayde vnto Ieremy: I wil axe the somwhat, but hyde nothinge fro me. 15The Ieremy answerde Sedechias: Yf I be playne vnto the, thou wilt cause me suffre death: yf I geue the coucell, thou wilt not folowe me. 16So the kynge swore an ooth secretly vnto Ieremy, sayenge: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, that made vs these soules, I will not slaye the, ner geue the in to the hodes of them, that seke after thy life.

17Then sayde Ieremy vnto Sedechias: Thus saieth ye LORDE off hoostes the God of Israel: Yf case be, that thou wilt go forth vnto the kynge off Babilons prynces, thou shalt saue thy life, and this cite shall not be bret, yee both thou and thy housholde shall escape with youre lyues. 18But yff thou wilt not go forth to the kynge off Babilons prynces, then shal this cite be delyuered in to the hondes of the Caldees which shal set fyre vpon it, and thou shalt be able to escape them. 19And Sedechias sayde vnto Ieremy: I am afrayde for the Iewes, that are fled vnto the Caldees, lest I come in their hodes, and so they to haue me in derision. 20But Ieremy answerde: No, they shal not betraye the: O herken vnto the voyce off the LORDE (I beseke ye) which I speake vnto the, so shalt thou be well, and saue thy life. 21But yf thou wilt not go forth, the LORDE hath tolde me this planely:

22Beholde, all the women that are left in the kynge of Iudaes house, shal go out to the kynge of Babilons prynces. For they thynke, yt thou art disceaued: and that ye men in whom thou didest put thy trust, haue gotten the vnder, and set thy fete fast in the myre, and gone their waye from the.

23Therfore all thy wyues with their children shall fle vnto the Caldees, and thou shalt not escape their hondes, but shalt be ye kynge of Babilons presoner, & this cite shall be brent.

24Then sayde Sedechias vnto Ieremy: loke yt no body knowe off these wordes, and thou shalt not dye. 25But yf the prynces perceaue, that I haue talked with the, and come vnto the, sayenge: O speake, what sayde the kynge to the? hyde it not from vs, and we wil not put the to death. Tell vs (we praye the) what sayde ye kynge to the? 26Se thou geue them this answere: I haue humbly besought the kynge, that he will let me lye nomore in Ionathas house, that I dye not there? 27Then came all the princes vnto Ieremy, and axed him, And he tolde them, after the maner as the kynge bad him. Then they helde their peace, for they perceaued nothinge. 28So Ieremy abode still in the fore entrie off the preson, vntill the daye that Ierusalem was wonne.