587BC – Jeremiah the Prophet of God is put down a well

Jeremiah 38:1-40:6. Jeremiah the Prophet of God was put down a well as a prisoner. This event happened during the reign of King Zedekiah, 20th and last king of Judah 597BC-586BC.

During the time Jeremiah was in prison he regularly spoke to King Zedekiah.

Using a well as a temporary prison was a good idea as the prisoner down the well could not climb up its sides.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon allowed Jeremiah the prophet to live where he wanted. So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

Background Reading:

Jeremiah is Arrested, Imprisoned and Thrown Into a Cistern

38:1 Mattan’s son Shephatiah, Pashhur’s son Gedaliah, Shelemiah’s son Jucal, and Malchijah’s son Pashhur heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people: 2 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague, but the one who goes over to the Chaldeans will live. His life will be spared, and he will live.’ 3 This is what the LORD says: ‘This city will surely be given to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.’”

4 Then the officials told the king, “Let this man be put to death because he’s undermining the efforts of the soldiers who remain in this city and that of all the people by speaking words like these to them. Indeed, this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm.”

5 King Zedekiah said, “Look, he’s in your hands, and the king can do nothing to you.” 6 So they threw Jeremiah into a cistern that belonged to the king’s son Malchijah and was located in the courtyard of the guard. When they let Jeremiah down with ropes, because there was no water in the cistern—only mud—Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Jeremiah 38:1-6
Continued in Jeremiah 38:7-40:6 .


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