Shephatiah Ibn Mattan, and Gedaliah Ibn Pashhur, and Jucal Ibn Shelemiah, and Pashhur Ibn Malchijah, heard the words that Armiya spoke to all the people, saying, 2Thus says Allah, He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes forth to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be to him for a prey, and he shall live. 3Thus says Allah, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 4Then the princes said to the king, Let this man, we pray you, be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm. 5Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand; for the king cannot do anything against you. 6Then they took Armiya, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchijah the king’s son, that was in the court of the guard: and they let down Armiya with cords. In the dungeon there was no water, but mire; and Armiya sank in the mire. 7Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Armiya in the dungeon (the king then sitting in the gate of Binyamin,) 8Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spoke to the king, saying, 9My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Armiya the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city. 10Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from here thirty men with you, and take Armiya the prophet up out of the dungeon, before he dies. 11So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took there rags and worn-out garments, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Armiya. 12Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Armiya, Put now these rags and worn-out garments under your armholes under the cords. Armiya did so. 13So they drew up Armiya with the cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Armiya remained in the court of the guard. 14Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Armiya the prophet to him into the third entry that is in the house of Allah: and the king said to Armiya, I will ask you a thing; hide nothing from me. 15Then Armiya said to Zedekiah, If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me. 16So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Armiya, saying, As Allah lives, who made this soul, I will not put you to death, neither will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life. 17Then Armiya said to Zedekiah, Thus says Allah, the Lord God of the universe, the God of Israel: If you will go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house. 18But if you will not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape out of their hand. 19Zedekiah the king said to Armiya, I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen away to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. 20But Armiya said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beg you, the voice of Allah, in that which I speak to you: so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live. 21But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that Allah has shown me: 22behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Your familiar friends have set you on, and have prevailed over you: now that your feet are sunk in the mire, they are turned away back. 23They shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans; and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire. 24Then Zedekiah said to Armiya, Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die. 25But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you, and tell you, Declare to us now what you have said to the king; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said to you: 26then you shall tell them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there. 27Then came all the princes to Armiya, and asked him; and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived. 28So Armiya stayed in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.