Jeremiah 38:17–23

¹⁷Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon,^f then you will live, this city will not be burned, and you and your household will survive. ¹⁸But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans.^g They will burn it, and you yourself will not escape from them.’ ”

¹⁹But King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am worried about the Judeans who have defected to the Chaldeans. They may hand me over to the Judeans to abuse me.”^h

²⁰“They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the Lord in what I am telling you, so it may go well for you and you can live. ²¹But if you refuse to surrender, this is the verdict^A that the Lord has shown me: ²²‘All the women^B who remain in the palace of Judah’s king will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say to you,^C

“Your trusted friends^D misled^E you

and overcame you.

Your feet sank into the mire,

and they deserted you.”

²³All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans.ⁱ You yourself will not escape from them, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon and this city will burn.’ ”