Jeremiah 38:6

The NET Bible®

So the officials took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

Hebrew Names Version
Then took they Yirmeyahu, and cast him into the dungeon of Malkiyah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Yirmeyahu with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Yirmeyahu sank in the mire.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

New American Standard Bible
So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchijah the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

New Century Version
So the officers took Jeremiah and put him into the well of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guards. The officers used ropes to lower Jeremiah into the well, which did not have any water in it, only mud. And Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

Amplified Bible
So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchijah the king's son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down [into the cistern] with ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

World English Bible
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then tooke they Ieremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the sonne of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let downe Ieremiah with coards: and in the dungeon there was no water but myre: so Ieremiah stacke fast in the myre.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king's son, which was in the court of the guard; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mire, and Jeremiah sank into the mire.

Berean Standard Bible
So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

Contemporary English Version
Then they took me back to the courtyard of the palace guards and let me down with ropes into the well that belonged to Malchiah, the king's son. There was no water in the well, and I sank down in the mud.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then they took Yirmeyahu and threw him into the cistern of Malkiyahu the king's son, which was in the guards' quarters; they let down Yirmeyahu into it with ropes. In the pit there was no water, but there was mud; and Yirmeyahu sank into the mud.

Darby Translation
Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the son of Hammelech, which was in the court of the guard, and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Easy-to-Read Version
So the officials took Jeremiah and put him into Malkijah's cistern. Malkijah was the king's son. The cistern was in the Temple yard where the king's guard stayed. They used ropes to lower Jeremiah into the cistern. The cistern didn't have any water in it, only mud. And Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

George Lamsa Translation
Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the well of Malchiah the son of the king, which was in the court of the prison; and they let down Jeremiah with ropes. And there was no water in the well, but only mire; so Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Good News Translation
So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it.

Lexham English Bible
So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the pit of Malchiah, the son of the king, which was in the courtyard of the guard. And they let Jeremiah down by ropes. Now in the pit there was no water, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

Literal Translation
And they took Jeremiah and threw him into the pit of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guardhouse. And they let Jeremiah down with ropes. But no water was in the pit, only mud. So Jeremiah sank into themud.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then 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.

American Standard Version
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Bible in Basic English
So they took Jeremiah and put him into the water-hole of Malchiah, the king's son, in the place of the armed watchmen: and they let Jeremiah down with cords. And in the hole there was no water, but wet earth: and Jeremiah went down into the wet earth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard; and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the pit there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

King James Version (1611)
Then tooke they Ieremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the sonne of Hammelech that was in the court of the prison: and they let downe Ieremiah with cords: and in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Ieremiah sunke in the mire.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then toke they Ieremie and cast him into the dungeon of Melchiah the sonne of Amelech, that dwelt in the fore entrie of the prison, and they let downe Ieremie with coardes into a dungeon, where there was no water, but mire: So Ieremie stack fast in the mire.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For it is a day when those that plead on the mountains of Ephraim shall call, saying, Arise ye, and go up to Sion to the Lord your God.

English Revised Version
Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thei token Jeremye, and castiden hym doun in to the lake of Elchie, sone of Amalech, which was in the porche of the prisoun; and thei senten doun Jeremye bi cordis in to the lake, wherynne was no watir, but fen; therfor Jeremye yede doun in to the filthe.

Update Bible Version
Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king's son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then they took 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.

New King James Version
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king's [fn] son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.

New Living Translation
So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.

New Life Bible
So they took Jeremiah and put him into the well of Malchijah the king's son, in the open space of the prison, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, but only mud. And Jeremiah went down into the mud.

New Revised Standard
So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. Now there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then took they Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah son of the king, which was in the guard-court, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes, - now, in the dungeon, was no water only mire, so Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then they took Jeremias and cast him into the dungeon of Melchias the son of Amelech, which was in the entry of the prison: and they let down Jeremias by ropes into the dungeon, wherein there was no water, but mire. And Jeremias sunk into the mire.

Revised Standard Version
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchi'ah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire.

Young's Literal Translation
And they take Jeremiah, and cast him into the pit of Malchiah son of the king, that [is] in the court of the prison, and they send down Jeremiah with cords; and in the pit there is no water, but mire, and Jeremiah sinketh in the mire.

THE MESSAGE
So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah the king's son that was in the courtyard of the palace guard. They lowered him down with ropes. There wasn't any water in the cistern, only mud. Jeremiah sank into the mud.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king's son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Contextual Overview

¹ Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah had heard the things that Jeremiah had been telling the people. They had heard him say, ² "The Lord says, ‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives.'" ³ They had also heard him say, "The Lord says, ‘This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. They will capture it.'" ⁴ So these officials said to the king, "This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. This man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them." ⁵ King Zedekiah said to them, "Very well, you can do what you want with him. For I cannot do anything to stop you." ⁶ So the officials took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud. ⁷ An Ethiopian, Ebed Melech, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put in the cistern. While the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, ⁸ Ebed Melech departed the palace and went to speak to the king. He said to him, ⁹ "Your royal Majesty, those men have been very wicked in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah. They have thrown him into a cistern and he is sure to die of starvation there because there is no food left in the city." ¹⁰ Then the king gave Ebed Melech the Ethiopian the following order: "Take thirty men with you from here and go pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

took: Jeremiah 37:21, Psalms 109:5, Luke 3:19, Luke 3:20

into: Jeremiah 37:16, Lamentations 3:55, Acts 16:24, 2 Corinthians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 4:9, Hebrews 10:36

Hammelech: or, the king, Jeremiah 36:26

and they: Jeremiah 38:11, Jeremiah 38:12

And in: This dungeon, which seems to have belonged to one of Zedekiah's sons, appears to have been a most dreadful place; the horrors of which were probably augmented by the cruelty of the jailor. "The eastern people," observes Sir J. Chardin, "have not different prisons for the different classes of criminals; the judges do not trouble themselves about where the prisoners are confined, or how they are treated, considering it merely as a place of safety; and all that they require of the jailor is, that the prisoner be forthcoming when called for. As to the rest, he is master to do as he pleases; to treat him well or ill; to put him in irons or not; to shut him up close, or hold him in easier restraint; to admit people to him, or to suffer nobody to see him. If the jailor and his servants have large fees, let the person be the greatest rascal in the world, he shall be lodged in the jailor's own apartment, and the best part of it; and on the contrary, if those that have imprisoned a man give the jailor greater presents, or that he has a greater regard for them, he will treat the prisoner with the greatest inhumanity." This adds a double energy to those passages which speak of "the sighing of the prisoner," and to Jeremiah's supplicating that he might not be remanded to the dungeon of Jonathan - Jeremiah 38:26, Jeremiah 37:20. Jeremiah 38:22, Genesis 37:24, Psalms 40:2, Psalms 69:2, Psalms 69:14, Psalms 69:15, Lamentations 3:52-55, Zechariah 9:11

Reciprocal: Exodus 12:29 - dungeon Exodus 23:2 - to decline 1 Kings 22:27 - Put this fellow 2 Chronicles 18:25 - and carry him back 2 Chronicles 36:16 - misused Job 30:19 - cast me Isaiah 24:22 - shall they Isaiah 51:14 - die Jeremiah 1:19 - And they Jeremiah 20:2 - smote Jeremiah 29:26 - that thou Jeremiah 32:2 - Jeremiah Jeremiah 36:5 - General Jeremiah 37:15 - in the Jeremiah 38:13 - So Lamentations 3:1 - the man Lamentations 3:7 - hedged Lamentations 3:53 - cut Daniel 3:23 - fell Luke 4:28 - were 2 Corinthians 6:5 - imprisonments Hebrews 11:36 - bonds

Cross-References

Genesis 21:21
He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Genesis 24:3
so that I may make you solemnly promise by the Lord , the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living.

Matthew 1:3
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then took they Jeremiah,.... Having the king's leave, or at least no prohibition from him; they went with proper attendants to the court of the prison, and took the prophet from thence:

and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that [was] in the court of the prison; this was a dungeon that belonged to the prison which Malchiah had the care of, or which belonged to his house, which was contiguous to the court of the prison. The Targum renders it, Malchiah the son of the king; and so the Septuagint and Arabic versions; but it is not likely that Zedekiah should have a son that was set over his dungeon, or to whom one belonged, or should be called by his name: here the princes cast the prophet, in order that he should perish, either with famine or suffocation, or the noisomeness of the place; not caring with their own hands to take away the life of a prophet, and for fear of the people; and this being a more slow and private way of dispatching him, they chose it; for they designed no doubt nothing less than death:

and they let down Jeremiah with cords; there being no steps or stairs to go down into it; so that nobody could come to him when in it, or relieve him:

and in the dungeon [there was] no water, but mire; so Jeremiah sunk in the mire; up to the neck, as Josephus q says. Some think that it was at this time, and in this place, that Jeremiah put up the petitions to the Lord, and which he heard, recorded in Lamentations 3:55; and that that whole chapter was composed by him in this time of his distress.

q Antiqu. l. 10. c. 7. sect. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The dungeon - The cistern. Every house in Jerusalem was supplied with a subterranean cistern, so well constructed that the city never suffered in a siege from want of water. So large were they that when dry they seem to have been used for prisons Zechariah 9:11.

Hammelech - See Jeremiah 36:26 note.

The prison - The guard. They threw Jeremiah into the nearest cistern, intending that he should die of starvation. Some have thought that Psalms 69:0 was composed by Jeremiah when in this cistern.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 38:6. So Jeremiah sunk in the mire. — Their obvious design was, that he might be stifled in that place.