7. Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, got word that they had thrown Jeremiah into the cistern. Since the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,
8. Ebed-melech left the palace and said to the king:
9. "My master the king, these men have made a terrible mistake in treating the prophet Jeremiah the way they have; they have thrown him into the cistern where he will die of starvation, for there’s no bread left in the city."
10. Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men from here and take Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."
11. So Ebed-melech took the men and returned to the palace, to an underground supply room, where he found some old rags and scraps of clothing.Ebed-melech lowered them down the cistern by the ropes