⁷ But Ebed-Melek,^(A) a Cushite,^[a] an official^[b](B) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,^{(C) 8} Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,^(D) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread^(E) in the city.”

¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

¹¹ So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes^(F) to Jeremiah in the cistern. ¹² Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, ¹³ and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(G)

¹⁵ While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-Melek^(A) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words^(B) against this city—words concerning disaster,^(C) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. ¹⁷ But I will rescue^(D) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. ¹⁸ I will save^(E) you; you will not fall by the sword^(F) but will escape with your life,^(G) because you trust^(H) in me, declares the Lord.’”