Jeremiah 38 Saphatiah the sonne of Mathan, Godoliah the sonne of Phasphur, Iucal the sonne of Semeliah, and Phashur the sonne of Melchiah perceaued the wordes, that Ieremy had spoken vnto all the people, namely on thys maner:

Great⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Saphatiah the sonne of Mathan, Godoliah the sonne of Phasphur, Iucal the sonne of Semeliah, and Phashur the sonne of Melchiah perceaued the wordes, that Ieremy had spoken vnto all the people, namely on thys maner: ² Thus sayeth the Lord: Who so remayneth in thys cytie, shal perish, ether with the swearde, with honger or with the pestylence. But who so falleth vnto the Caldees, shall escape winnynge his soule for a praye, & shall lyue. ³ For thus sayeth the Lorde: Thys cytie (no doute) must be delyuered into the power of the kynge of Babylon, and he also shall wynne it. ⁴ Then sayde the prynces vnto the kynge: Syr, we beseche you let thys man be put to death. For thus he discorageth the handes of the soudiers that be in thys cytie, and the handes of all the people, when he speaketh soche wordes vnto them. This man verely laboureth not for peace of the people, but myschefe. ⁵ Zedekiah the kynge answered & sayde: lo, he is in youre handes, for the kyng maye denye you nothinge. ⁶ Then toke they Ieremy, and cast hym into the dongeon of Melchiah the sonne of Hamelech, that dwelt in the fore entrie of the preson. And they lett downe Ieremy with coardes into a dongeon, where there was no water, but myre. ⁷ So Ieremy stack fast in the myre. Now when Abedmelech the Morian beynge a chamberlayne in the kynges courte, vnderstode, that they had cast Ieremy into the dongeon: ⁸ he went out of the kynges house, and spake to the kynge, (which then sat vnder the porte of BenIamin) these wordes: ⁹ My Lorde the kynge, where as these men medle with Ieremye the prophet, they do hym wronge: Namely, in that they haue put him in preson, there to dye of honger, for there is no more bread in the cytie. ¹⁰ Then the kynge commaunded Abedmelech the Morian and sayde: Take from hence .xxx. men whom thou wylt, & drawe vp Ieremy the prophet out of the dongeon, before he dye. ¹¹ So Abedmelech toke the men wt him, and went to the house of the kynge, and there vnder the treasurie gatt olde ragges & worne cloutes, and lett them downe by a coarde, into the dongeon to Ieremy. ¹² And Abedmelech the Morian sayde vnto the prophet Ieremy: O, put these ragges and cloutes vnder thyne arme holes, betwyxte them and the coardes: & Ieremy dyd so. ¹³ So they drewe vp Ieremy with coardes & toke him out of the dongeon, & he remayned in the fore entrye of the preson. ¹⁴ Then Zedekiah the kynge sent & caused Ieremy the prophete to be called vnto him, into the thyrde entrye, that is in the house of the. Lord. And the kinge sayd vnto Ieremy: I will aske the somewhat but hyde nothynge fro me. ¹⁵ Then Ieremy answered Zedekiah: Yf I be playne vnto the, thou wilt cause me to suffre death: If I geue the councell, thou wylt not folowe me. ¹⁶ So the king swore an ooth secretly vnto Ieremy, sayinge. As truly as the Lorde lyueth that made vs these soules, I wyll not slaye the, ner geue the into the handes of them that seke after thy lyfe. ¹⁷ Then sayde Ieremy vnto Zedekiah. Thus sayeth the Lord of hoostes the God of Israel If case be, that thou wylt go forth vnto the kynge of Babylons prynces, thou shalt saue thy lyfe, and thys cytie shalt not be brent yee, both thou and thy housholde shall escape with youre lyues. ¹⁸ But yf thou wylt not go forth to the kynge of Babylons princes, then shall thys cytie be delyuered into the handes of the Caldees, which shall set fyre vpon it, and thou shalt not be able to escape them. ¹⁹ And Zedekiah sayde vnto Ieremy. I am afrayde for the Iewes, that are fled vnto the Caldees, lest I come in theyr handes, and so they to haue me in derisyon. ²⁰ But Ieremy answerde: No, they shall not betraye the: O herken vnto the voyce of the Lord (I beseche the) which I speake vnto the so shalt thou be well, and saue thy lyfe. ²¹ But yf thou wilt not go forth, the Lorde hath tolde me this playnely: ²² Beholde, all the wemen that are left in the kynge of Iudaes house, shalbe led forth out to the kynge of Babilons princes. And they shal saye, that thou art disceaued: and that they whom thou didest put thy trust, haue gotten the vnder, & sett thy fete fast in the myre, and gone their waye from the. ²³ Therfore all thy wyues with their chyldren shall they leade forth vnto the Caldees, and thou shalt not escape their handes, but shalt be the kyng of Babilons presoner, & this cytie shalt thou cause to be brent. ²⁴ Then sayde Zedekiah vnto Ieremye: loke that no body knowe of these wordes, and thou shalt not dye. ²⁵ But yf the princes perceaue, that I haue talked with the and come vnto the, saying: O speake, what sayde the king to the? hyde it not from vs, & we wyll not put the to death. Tell vs (we praye the) what sayde the kynge to the? ²⁶ Se thou geue them thys answere: I haue humbly besought the kynge, that he wyll lett me lye nomore in Iehonathans house, that I dye not there. ²⁷ Then came all the princes vnto Ieremy, and asked hym. And he tolde them, after the maner as the kynge bad him. Then they helde theyr peace, and let hym alone for they perceaued nothinge. ²⁸ So Ieremy abode styll in the fore entrie of the preson, vntyll the daye that Ierusalem was wonne.