Jeremiah Inside Di Mud

Darkness. Cold. Mud reach im knee, and e still dey sink. Far for up, one small circle of daylight. Dem don use rope lower Jeremiah enter one old cistern, and dem leave am there.

Di army of Babylon don surround Jerusalem. Food dey finish. Dem hold Jeremiah for di courtyard of di guard, but e no stop to talk wetin God tell am make e talk. Dem go hand dis city over to Babylon. Di people wey stay go die by sword, by hunger and by sickness. But di people wey go out surrender to di Babylonians go live. For di king officials ear, e sound like treason.

Four of dem, Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jucal and Pashhur, go meet King Zedekiah. Make dem kill dis man, dem talk. E dey make di soldiers wey remain for di city lose heart, and all di people too. E no dey find dia good, na dia harm e dey find. And di king, wey weak and wey fear dey catch, just gree. E dey your hand. Di king no fit do anything against una. So dem carry Jeremiah, use rope lower am inside one cistern for di courtyard of di guard. No water dey inside. Na only mud. And Jeremiah sink down inside di mud.

But somebody hear wetin happen. Im name na Ebed-melech. E be Ethiopian, one eunuch wey dey serve for di king palace, stranger for Jerusalem. Di king dey sit for di Benjamin Gate. Ebed-melech comot from di palace straight go find am, and e open mouth talk.

My lord di king, dese men don do evil for everything wey dem do to Jeremiah di prophet. Dem don throw am inside di cistern, and hunger go kill am there, because bread no remain for di city again.

Dis time di king listen. Take thirty men from here, e talk, and lift Jeremiah di prophet comot from di cistern before e die. Ebed-melech go one store room for di palace and find one heap of old rags and old clothes wey don tear. E use rope lower dem give Jeremiah. Put dese old rags under your armpit, make di rope no cut you. Jeremiah do am. And dem pull am up, comot from di mud. Na small detail, but e fine well well. Ebed-melech no only save Jeremiah life. E think about how di rope go pain am.

Small time after, King Zedekiah send call Jeremiah for secret, for one entrance of di temple. I wan ask you something. No hide anything from me. Jeremiah answer am honestly. If I tell you, you no go kill me? And if I give you advice, you no go listen. Di king swear oath for secret say e no go harm am. So Jeremiah tell am di truth. Surrender to di officers of di king of Babylon, and you go live, and dem no go burn dis city. But Zedekiah dey fear wetin people go do am. Jeremiah beg am. Abeg, obey di voice of Di Lord for wetin I dey tell you. Then e go better for you, and your life go dey safe. Di king no fit bring imself to do am. And Jeremiah remain for di courtyard of di guard, until di day wey dem take Jerusalem.

Cistern na pit wey dem dig enter rock, many times e get shape like bottle, narrow for top and wide for down, and dem plaster di walls so dat e fit keep rain water through di long dry season. Houses and public buildings for Jerusalem dey depend on dem. When long siege dey, and rain no come fill am, cistern fit dry, and na only thick mud go remain for di bottom. With narrow mouth and walls wey stand straight, no way dey to climb comot.

Dem tell dis story for Jeremiah chapter thirty-eight. For di next chapter, God send Ebed-melech im own promise: e go dey safe when di city fall, because e trust Di Lord. Di king get all di power and e no do anything. One foreign servant no get almost any power, but e open mouth talk. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who dey round you wey dey stuck, or wey people dey treat anyhow, wey need somebody wey get courage to talk for am?