²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns^(A) and say that a ferocious animal^(B) devoured him.^(C) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”^(D)

²¹ When Reuben^(E) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(F) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(G) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.^(H)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(I) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(J) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(K) coming from Gilead.^(L) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(M) and myrrh,^(N) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(O)

²⁶ Judah^(P) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^{(Q) 27} Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(R) our own flesh and blood.^(S)” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(T) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(U) and sold^(V) him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver^(W) to the Ishmaelites,^(X) who took him to Egypt.^(Y)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^(Z)

⁶ So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.^(A) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes^(B) into the cistern; it had no water in it,^(C) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.^(D)

⁷ But Ebed-Melek,^(E) a Cushite,^[a] an official^[b](F) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,^{(G) 8} Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,^(H) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread^(I) in the city.”

¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

¹¹ So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes^(J) to Jeremiah in the cistern. ¹² Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, ¹³ and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(K)