Chapter 38 in Yirmiyahu is one of the most dramatic chapters in the book: the ministers demand the prophet's head, the king abdicates responsibility, Yirmiyahu is cast into a miry pit and sinks into it, and is miraculously rescued by Eved-Melech the Cushite. Later, a secret meeting takes place between Yirmiyahu and Tzidkiyahu, in which the prophet offers the king the only way to save himself and the city. We will walk through the pesukim in order, accompanied by the commentary of the Malbim and the words of Chazal.
וַיִּשְׁמַע שְׁפַטְיָה בֶן־מַתָּן וּגְדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־פַּשְׁחוּר וְיוּכַל בֶּן־שֶׁלֶמְיָהוּ וּפַשְׁחוּר בֶּן־מַלְכִּיָּה אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר יִרְמְיָהוּ מְדַבֵּר אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָם לֵאמֹר׃ - Shefatyah son of Mattan, Gedalyahu son of Pashchur, Yuchal son of Shelemyahu, and Pashchur son of Malkiyah heard the words that Yirmiyahu was speaking to all the people, saying:
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת יָמוּת בַּחֶרֶב בָּרָעָב וּבַדָּבֶר וְהַיֹּצֵא אֶל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים וְחָיָה וְהָיְתָה־לּוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ לְשָׁלָל וָחָי׃ - Thus said Hashem: Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but whoever goes out to the Chaldeans shall live, and his life shall be to him as spoil, and he shall live.
Notice the repetition in the verse: "whoever goes out to the Chaldeans shall live," and then again, "and his life shall be to him as spoil, and he shall live." The Malbim explains: the king's guards would execute anyone who attempted to defect to the Chaldeans, since such desertion disheartened the people, encouraged the Chaldeans, and projected an atmosphere of defeat. Therefore, Yirmiyahu says that there is only one hurdle to overcome - the king's guards. Whoever goes out and manages to get past them alive, "and his life shall be to him as spoil, and he shall live": he has nothing to fear from the Chaldeans themselves; they will not kill him. By contrast, whoever remains in the city - the Chaldeans will break in, burn the city, and slaughter its inhabitants. Therefore, it is worthwhile to attempt an escape, as that still offers a glimmer of hope.
כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה הִנָּתֹן תִּנָּתֵן הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיַד חֵיל מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וּלְכָדָהּ׃ - Thus said Hashem: This city shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, and he shall capture it.
Some people might prefer to endure famine and pestilence inside the city, so long as they can save the city and avoid surrendering to the Chaldeans. Therefore, Yirmiyahu adds: do not mistakenly believe that while you may suffer famine and pestilence, at least you will save the city. The war is already lost. You will perish by famine and pestilence, and the city will not be spared either - "This city shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, and he shall capture it."
וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַשָּׂרִים אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ יוּמַת נָא אֶת־הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה כִּי־עַל־כֵּן הוּא־מְרַפֵּא אֶת־יְדֵי אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת וְאֵת יְדֵי כׇל־הָעָם לְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה אֵינֶנּוּ דֹרֵשׁ לְשָׁלוֹם לָעָם הַזֶּה כִּי אִם־לְרָעָה׃ - The ministers said to the king: "Let this man please be put to death, for he demoralizes the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm."
The ministers come to the king and demand to put the prophet to death. Their claim: he weakens the resolve of the warriors remaining in the city, as well as that of all the people, through the words he speaks to them. Moreover, they argue that the very utterance of these words proves his ill intent - "for this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm." That is to say: his sole objective is to bring disaster upon us; he wants Nevuchadnetzar to conquer us, and that is why he constantly urges us to surrender.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ הִנֵּה־הוּא בְּיֶדְכֶם כִּי־אֵין הַמֶּלֶךְ יוּכַל אֶתְכֶם דָּבָר׃ - King Tzidkiyahu said: "Behold, he is in your hands, for the king cannot do anything against you."
In other words: I, the king, do not wish to harm him or do him evil on my own part, but I am giving you the power to do with him as you see fit.
וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ וַיַּשְׁלִכוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־הַבּוֹר מַלְכִּיָּהוּ בֶן־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲבָלִים וּבַבּוֹר אֵין־מַיִם כִּי אִם־טִיט וַיִּטְבַּע יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּטִּיט׃ - And they took Yirmiyahu and cast him into the pit of Malkiyahu the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, and they lowered Yirmiyahu down with ropes. And in the pit there was no water, but mire, and Yirmiyahu sank into the mire.
They take Yirmiyahu and cast him into the pit of Malkiyahu the king's son in the court of the guard. The mire in the pit was like quicksand, and the prophet stands there, slowly sinking into it: "And in the pit there was no water, but mire."
וַיִּשְׁמַע עֶבֶד־מֶלֶךְ הַכּוּשִׁי אִישׁ סָרִיס וְהוּא בְּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי־נָתְנוּ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־הַבּוֹר וְהַמֶּלֶךְ יוֹשֵׁב בְּשַׁעַר בִּנְיָמִן׃ - And Eved-melech the Cushite, an officer who was in the king's palace, heard that they had put Yirmiyahu into the pit; and the king was sitting in the Gate of Binyamin.
"Eved-melech" is the man's proper name, not his title.
אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הֵרֵעוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֵת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לְיִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הִשְׁלִיכוּ אֶל־הַבּוֹר וַיָּמׇת תַּחְתָּיו מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָב כִּי אֵין הַלֶּחֶם עוֹד בָּעִיר׃ - "My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Yirmiyahu the prophet, whom they have cast into the pit; and he will die where he is from the famine, for there is no more bread in the city."
Eved-melech's argument was that these men acted wickedly by actively harming Yirmiyahu, which was completely unnecessary. After all, "and he will die where he is from the famine, for there is no more bread in the city" - leave him another day or two and he will die on his own, without our hand being against him. Why take his death upon your conscience? Bread has run out in the city anyway, there is famine anyway, and he is bound to die anyway. Let him expire naturally; why commit an active act of murder?
וַיְצַוֶּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵת עֶבֶד־מֶלֶךְ הַכּוּשִׁי לֵאמֹר קַח בְּיָדְךָ מִזֶּה שְׁלֹשִׁים אֲנָשִׁים וְהַעֲלִיתָ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא מִן־הַבּוֹר בְּטֶרֶם יָמוּת׃ - And the king commanded Eved-melech the Cushite, saying: "Take thirty men from here with you, and pull Yirmiyahu the prophet up out of the pit before he dies."
The Malbim explains: The king had previously washed his hands of the matter when he said, "Behold, he is in your hand." Now he re-enters the picture and commands that he be rescued. That is: I told you to do as you see fit, but now I retract that, and I order you to go and save him.
וַיִּקַּח עֶבֶד־מֶלֶךְ אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁים בְּיָדוֹ וַיָּבֹא בֵית־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־תַּחַת הָאוֹצָר וַיִּקַּח מִשָּׁם בְּלוֹיֵ סְחָבוֹת וּבְלוֹיֵ מְלָחִים וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־הַבּוֹר בַּחֲבָלִים׃ - So Ebed-melech took the men under his command and came to the house of the king beneath the treasury, and took from there worn-out rags and worn-out tatters, and lowered them by ropes to Yirmiyahu in the pit.
"Worn-out rags and worn-out tatters" - old garments. Ebed-melech prepared special ropes and special clothes, and lowered them down to him.
וַיֹּאמֶר עֶבֶד־מֶלֶךְ הַכּוּשִׁי אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ שִׂים נָא בְּלוֹאֵי הַסְּחָבוֹת וְהַמְּלָחִים תַּחַת אַצִּלוֹת יָדֶיךָ מִתַּחַת לַחֲבָלִים וַיַּעַשׂ יִרְמְיָהוּ כֵּן׃ - And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Yirmiyahu: 'Please put these worn-out rags and tatters under your armpits beneath the ropes.' And Yirmiyahu did so.
וַיִּמְשְׁכוּ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲבָלִים וַיַּעֲלוּ אֹתוֹ מִן־הַבּוֹר וַיֵּשֶׁב יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה׃ - So they pulled Yirmiyahu up with the ropes and lifted him out of the pit, and Yirmiyahu remained in the court of the guard.
Had they simply tied a rope around Yirmiyahu and pulled, it would have been excruciatingly painful, especially since he was stuck in the mire. This was why thirty men were needed to pull him - this was not a task for a single person; he was sunk in the mud, like a vehicle bogged down that needs to be extracted. Therefore, they told him: place these clothes as padding, these worn-out rags, and tie the rope around them so that you are not cut by the ropes.
Chazal relate: Yirmiyahu began to say, "Master of the Universe, is this what I deserve? Why am I being hauled up with ropes like a sheep?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Yirmiyahu, did not your ancestress do the same?" And his ancestress was Rachav, who lowered the two righteous men, Pinchas and Kalev, by a rope through the window. With the Holy One, blessed be He, there is an exact reckoning. This is no mere idle grandmother tale: your ancestress lowered people with a rope; do not complain that you too are lowered and raised with a rope. We see from here that with the Holy One, blessed be He, everything enters the calculation.
וַיִּשְׁלַח הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ וַיִּקַּח אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא אֵלָיו אֶל־מָבוֹא הַשְּׁלִישִׁי אֲשֶׁר בְּבֵית יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ שֹׁאֵל אֲנִי אֹתְךָ דָּבָר אַל־תְּכַחֵד מִמֶּנִּי דָּבָר׃ - Then King Tzidkiyahu sent and brought Yirmiyahu the prophet to him, to the third entrance that is in the House of the Lord. And the king said to Yirmiyahu: 'I am asking you a matter; do not conceal anything from me.'
The king's intention was: I have one question that encompasses several matters, and I want you to tell me everything you know - "do not conceal anything from me."
וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־צִדְקִיָּהוּ כִּי אַגִּיד לְךָ הֲלוֹא הָמֵת תְּמִיתֵנִי וְכִי אִיעָצְךָ לֹא תִשְׁמַע אֵלָי׃ - And Yirmiyahu said to Tzidkiyahu: 'If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I advise you, you will not listen to me.'
Yirmiyahu argued: I have the ability to tell you what the future holds, the calamity hidden in store. If I tell you the impending evil - you will kill me. And if I advise you how to be saved - you will not listen to me anyway. If so, what is the point of all this? You will accept neither the prophecy nor the counsel on how to escape the disaster.
וַיִּשָּׁבַע הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּסֵּתֶר לֵאמֹר חַי־יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה־לָנוּ אֶת־הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַזֹּאת אִם־אֲמִיתֶךָ וְאִם־אֶתֶּנְךָ בְּיַד הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר מְבַקְשִׁים אֶת־נַפְשֶׁךָ׃ - King Tzidkiyahu swore secretly to Yirmiyahu, saying, "As Hashem lives, Who made this soul for us, I will neither put you to death nor hand you over to the hand of these men who seek your life."
The king swore to both things: first, that he would not put him to death himself. And lest one suggest, "You will not kill me yourself, but you will hand me over to others to kill me?" - to this he added: "nor hand you over to the hand of these men who seek your life" - I will not deliver you into their hands either. For Yirmiyahu was very fearful of conveying the prophecy, because it might result in harm coming to him.
וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־צִדְקִיָּהוּ כֹּה־אָמַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם־יָצֹא תֵצֵא אֶל־שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְחָיְתָה נַפְשֶׁךָ וְהָעִיר הַזֹּאת לֹא תִשָּׂרֵף בָּאֵשׁ וְחָיִתָה אַתָּה וּבֵיתֶךָ׃ - Yirmiyahu said to Tzidkiyahu, "So said Hashem, God of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, your soul will live, and this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will live."
"If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon" - meaning that you surrender before the king of Babylon, for it is Hashem Who made him king. And if you surrender, first of all you will not be rebelling against Hashem. From this follow three benefits: "your soul will live" - your soul will live, both here and in the World to Come you will not be held accountable, for you fulfilled the will of Hashem; "and this city will not be burned with fire" - you will save the city; "and you and your household will live" - the king of Babylon will not execute you. In other words, in every respect, the prophecy that I am now delivering to you in the Name of Hashem is the best possible thing to help you and save you.
וְאִם לֹא־תֵצֵא אֶל־שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְנִתְּנָה הָעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּיַד הַכַּשְׂדִּים וּשְׂרָפוּהָ בָּאֵשׁ וְאַתָּה לֹא־תִמָּלֵט מִיָּדָם׃ - "But if you do not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Kasdim, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape their hand."
Lest you say: Perhaps even if I do not go out, I will live and nothing will happen? By no means. If you do not go out - the city will be given into the hand of the Kasdim, they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape their hand. Notice that this is essentially a repetition of the same idea stated earlier in the chapter, but here the king is assured that if he indeed surrenders, it will bring salvation to him and to the people - and this is a favorable prophecy.
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ אֲנִי דֹאֵג אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר נָפְלוּ אֶל־הַכַּשְׂדִּים פֶּן־יִתְּנוּ אֹתִי בְיָדָם וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִי׃ - King Tzidkiyahu said to Yirmiyahu, "I am afraid of the Jews who have fallen away to the Kasdim, lest they deliver me into their hand and they abuse me."
In Jerusalem there were two factions, right and left: one faction that wished to fight the Kasdim, and a second faction that said, let us make peace with them. A similar division is known from the time of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai when he went out to the Roman Emperor, and there were the Sicarii and the zealots who refused to let him go make peace with the emperor.
Tzidkiyahu's concern was: There is a faction of Jews who have already defected to the Kasdim and made peace with the king of Babylon, and they are, as it were, among his supporters. The moment I present myself to the king of Babylon and say that I too am ready to submit, the king of Babylon will deliver me into the hands of those Jews who have already made peace with him. And they hate me, and they will mock me, humiliate me, abuse me, and torment me. The king of Babylon will want to give them a reward: Here is your leader, the one who stubbornly refused until now to make peace and submit to my rule, the one who tried to rebel against me - take him and do with him as you see fit.
And should you ask: Did not the prophet promise you, "your soul will live"? To this Tzidkiyahu answers: You promised me that I would live; you did not promise me that they would not torment and torture me.
וַיֹּאמֶר יִרְמְיָהוּ לֹא יִתֵּנוּ שְׁמַע־נָא בְּקוֹל יְהֹוָה לַאֲשֶׁר אֲנִי דֹּבֵר אֵלֶיךָ וְיִיטַב לְךָ וּתְחִי נַפְשֶׁךָ׃ - And Jeremiah said, "They will not give you over. Please obey the voice of Hashem regarding what I speak to you, and it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live."
You have nothing to worry about - "They will not give you over." I promise you that they will neither torture nor torment you. "Please obey the voice of Hashem regarding what I speak to you" - from what I am promising you, know that aside from gaining life in the very place where you are destined to die, I have an additional prophecy that contains a positive promise, and not, Heaven forbid, something bad.
וְאִם־מָאֵן אַתָּה לָצֵאת זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הִרְאַנִי יְהֹוָה׃ - But if you refuse to surrender, this is the matter that Hashem has shown me.
וְהִנֵּה כׇל־הַנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ בְּבֵית מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה מוּצָאוֹת אֶל־שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְהֵנָּה אֹמְרֹת הִסִּיתוּךָ וְיָכְלוּ לְךָ אַנְשֵׁי שְׁלֹמֶךָ הׇטְבְּעוּ בַבֹּץ רַגְלֶךָ נָסֹגוּ אָחוֹר׃ - And behold, all the women who are left in the house of the king of Judah shall be brought out to the ministers of the king of Babylon, and they will say, "Your trusted allies have incited you and overcome you; your feet are sunk in the mud, and they have turned back."
From this additional prophecy you will understand that if you surrender on your own, it will go well with you, for you will be deemed innocent. The women remaining in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the ministers of the king of Babylon, and the king of Babylon will ask them: Why did Zedekiah suddenly decide to rebel against me? And they will speak in your defense and say that you are not to blame: "Your trusted allies have incited you and overcome you" - those around you, all the various advisers, they were the ones who persuaded you and told you there was no point in listening to Nebuchadnezzar. "Your feet are sunk in the mud" - they will plead your case, arguing that you had no power of your own and that you were trapped in the hands of others.
וְאֶת־כׇּל־נָשֶׁיךָ וְאֶת־בָּנֶיךָ מוֹצִאִים אֶל־הַכַּשְׁדִּים וְאַתָּה לֹא־תִמָּלֵט מִיָּדָם כִּי בְיַד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל תִּתָּפֵשׂ וְאֶת־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת תִּשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ׃ - And all your wives and your sons they shall bring out to the Chaldeans, and you shall not escape from their hand, for by the hand of the king of Babylon shall you be seized, and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.
All the wives and sons will be brought out to the Chaldeans to execute judgment upon them, since according to that account, they were the close confidants who incited the king. And indeed, we find that Zedekiah's sons were put to death before his eyes, for the Babylonians would say: Zedekiah is not the primary culprit; we were the ones who led him astray. But Jeremiah tells him: Know that ultimately, you too will not escape, for your eyes will be gouged out - and Scripture records that they blinded Zedekiah. And why? Because you refused to see the truth; you walked in darkness after your wives, after your advisers, and after your sons.
And at the end of the verse: "and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire" - he is speaking to Zedekiah, which seemingly implies that Zedekiah himself is the one burning it. But would Zedekiah burn the city? The Malbim explains: Scripture regards it as if you burned it yourself. The moment you stubbornly refuse to surrender to the Chaldeans and insist, "I will stay here come what may" - you are effectively causing the city to be consumed by fire.
וַיֹּאמֶר צִדְקִיָּהוּ אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ אִישׁ אַל־יֵדַע בַּדְּבָרִים־הָאֵלֶּה וְלֹא תָמוּת׃ - And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die."
In other words: I accept what you are saying, but I ask that you not publicize what you told me. These are confidential assessments that must remain strictly between us, and no outsider must know of them.
וְכִי־יִשְׁמְעוּ הַשָּׂרִים כִּי־דִבַּרְתִּי אִתָּךְ וּבָאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְאָמְרוּ אֵלֶיךָ הַגִּידָה־נָּא לָנוּ מַה־דִּבַּרְתָּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־תְּכַחֵד מִמֶּנּוּ וְלֹא נְמִיתֶךָ וּמַה־דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיךָ הַמֶּלֶך׃ - And if the ministers hear that I have spoken with you, and they come to you and say to you, 'Tell us now what you said to the king; do not conceal it from us, and we will not put you to death; and what did the king say to you?'
Tzidkiyahu knows that Yirmiyahu will never utter a falsehood. And the ministers are bound to ask two questions: what did you say to the king, and what did the king say to you?
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם מַפִּיל־אֲנִי תְחִנָּתִי לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ לְבִלְתִּי הֲשִׁיבֵנִי בֵּית יְהוֹנָתָן לָמוּת שָׁם׃ - Then you shall say to them: "I presented my supplication before the king, not to return me to the house of Yehonatan to die there."
The king crafts a cover story for the prophet and dictates what he should tell the ministers. This in itself demonstrates that Tzidkiyahu was not a strong king, for on some level he feared the ministers. But let us consider: was this actually true? After all, Yirmiyahu had not pleaded with the king! Rather, herein lies the wisdom: the ministers will ask two questions - what did you say to the king, and what did the king say to you? When Yirmiyahu says, "I presented my supplication before the king, not to return me to the house of Yehonatan," this will be a truthful answer to the question of what the king said to him, for the king himself just uttered those very words. However, it is not an answer to what Yirmiyahu said to the king. The ministers will assume he is answering the first question, and in truth there is no falsehood here at all - only misdirection.
וַיָּבֹאוּ כׇל־הַשָּׂרִים אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ אֹתוֹ וַיַּגֵּד לָהֶם כְּכׇל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּחֲרִשׁוּ מִמֶּנּוּ כִּי לֹא־נִשְׁמַע הַדָּבָר׃ - Then all the officers came to Yirmiyahu and questioned him, and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they fell silent before him, for the matter had not been heard.
They asked him the two questions - what did you say to the king, and what did the king say to you - and he reported to them according to all the words the king had commanded. And as noted, there was no falsehood in this: they assumed this was what he had said to the king, whereas in truth it was what the king had said to him. "So they fell silent before him, for the matter had not been heard" - they did not perceive his intent, and therefore fell silent. He succeeded in misdirecting them.
וַיֵּשֶׁב יִרְמְיָהוּ בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה עַד־יוֹם אֲשֶׁר־נִלְכְּדָה יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר נִלְכְּדָה יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - And Yirmiyahu remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured; and so it was when Jerusalem was captured.
Yirmiyahu remains in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. And the words "and so it was when Jerusalem was captured" serve as an introduction to the next chapter. There, in verse 3, we witness the capture of Jerusalem - "all the officers of the king of Babylon entered," etc. The end of our chapter is essentially a direct continuation leading into that third verse, while verses 1 and 2 of the next chapter serve as a parenthetical statement inserted in between.
In Chapter 38, Yirmiyahu delivers the word of Hashem that those remaining in the city will die while those who surrender to the Chaldeans will live, and for this the ministers seek his life. The king abdicates responsibility - "behold, he is in your hand" - and they throw the prophet into the muddy pit, until Eved-melech the Cushite rescues him with an idea born of wisdom and compassion, placing worn-out rags under the ropes. From this our Sages teach that everything is accounted for before the Holy One, blessed be He: what his ancestress Rachav did with a rope was reciprocated for Yirmiyahu. Later, in their secret meeting, Yirmiyahu presents Tzidkiyahu with the path to complete salvation: to surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, thereby sparing his own life, his household, and the city. Tzidkiyahu fears mistreatment by the Jews who had already defected to the Chaldeans, receives a promise that he will not be handed over to them, yet still fails to go out. Consequently, it will be considered as if he himself burned the city, and his eyes will be put out because he refused to see the truth. The chapter concludes with Yirmiyahu's verbal dexterity, as he manages to fulfill the king's request without uttering a single lie, and with his dwelling in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.