Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Zedekiah » Made king of judah by nebuchadnezzar » Imprisons jeremiah on account of his denunciations
Prisoners » Jeremiah
had me brought from the palace courtyard. They put me under the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, who was to see that I got home safely. Thus I stayed there among the people.
So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it. Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch (officer) who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king: read more.
Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city. Then the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, Take with you three men and to pull him out of the well before he dies. So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes would not hurt me. I did this. So they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard. On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city. Then the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, Take with you three men and to pull him out of the well before he dies. So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes would not hurt me. I did this. So they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard. On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Prisoners » Kindness to » By the prison guard to jeremiah
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch (officer) who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king: Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city. read more.
Then the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, Take with you three men and to pull him out of the well before he dies. So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes would not hurt me. I did this. So they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard. On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Then the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, Take with you three men and to pull him out of the well before he dies. So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes would not hurt me. I did this. So they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard. On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Zedekiah » Made king of judah by nebuchadnezzar » The allegiance denounced » By jeremiah
This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: 'Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to get advice from me: Pharaoh's army has come out to help you. But it will go back to Egypt, its own land. Then the Babylonians will return. They will attack the city, capture it, and burn it down. Jehovah says: 'Do not deceive yourselves by thinking that the Babylonians will leave you. They will not leave you. read more.
Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city!'
Even if you would defeat the entire Babylonian army so that they had only a few badly wounded men left in their tents, they would get up and burn down this city!'
He did what Jehovah his God considered evil. He did not humble himself in front of the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke Jehovah's word.
When King Zedekiah of Judah locked up Jeremiah, Zedekiah asked him: Why are you prophesying? You are saying, 'this is what Jehovah says: I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Babylonians. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. He will talk to Nebuchadnezzar in person and look him in the eye. Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and Zedekiah will stay there until I deal with him, declares Jehovah. When you fight the Babylonians, you will not win.'
Like the bad figs that cannot be eaten because they are rotten, says Jehovah, so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will make them a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms of the earth. They will be a disgrace and an example. They will become something ridiculed and cursed wherever I scatter them. I will send wars, famines, and plagues until they disappear from the land that I gave to them and their ancestors.'
I spoke the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah: Surrender to the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and you will stay alive. Why should you and your people die in wars, famines, and plagues? Jehovah has threatened the nations that do not serve the king of Babylon. Do not listen to the prophets who tell you, 'You will never serve the king of Babylon.' They prophesy lies to you. read more.
I did not send them, declares Jehovah. They prophesy lies in my name. So I will scatter you, and you and the prophets will die.' I also spoke this message to the priests and all the people. This is what Jehovah said to me: Do not listen to the prophets who tell you that the utensils of Jehovah's Temple will be brought back from Babylon soon. They prophesy lies to you. Do not listen to them. Instead, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city be turned into rubble? If they are prophets and Jehovah is speaking to them, they should beg Jehovah of Hosts not to allow the utensils that are left in Jehovah's Temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem to be taken away to Babylon. Jehovah of Host reports concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the House of Jehovah and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, They will be carried to Babylon and they will be there until the day I visit them, declares Jehovah. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.'
I did not send them, declares Jehovah. They prophesy lies in my name. So I will scatter you, and you and the prophets will die.' I also spoke this message to the priests and all the people. This is what Jehovah said to me: Do not listen to the prophets who tell you that the utensils of Jehovah's Temple will be brought back from Babylon soon. They prophesy lies to you. Do not listen to them. Instead, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city be turned into rubble? If they are prophets and Jehovah is speaking to them, they should beg Jehovah of Hosts not to allow the utensils that are left in Jehovah's Temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem to be taken away to Babylon. Jehovah of Host reports concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the House of Jehovah and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, They will be carried to Babylon and they will be there until the day I visit them, declares Jehovah. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.'
Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace: Is there any message from Jehovah? Jeremiah answered: Yes! There is a message from Jehovah. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.
On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. read more.
Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Zedekiah » Made king of judah by nebuchadnezzar » Imprisons jeremiah on account of his denunciations
The officials were so angry with Jeremiah that they beat him and put him in prison in the scribe Jonathan's house, which had been turned into a prison. Jeremiah went into a prison cell, and he stayed there a long time. Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace: Is there any message from Jehovah? Jeremiah answered: Yes! There is a message from Jehovah. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon. read more.
Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah: What crime have I committed against you, your administrators, or these people? Why have you put me in prison? Where are the prophets who told you that the king of Babylon would not attack you and this land? Your Majesty, please listen, and accept my plea for mercy. Do not return me to the scribe Jonathan's house, or I will die there. King Zedekiah gave the command to have Jeremiah put in the courtyard of the prison. He gave him a loaf of bread every day from the bakers' street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the prison.
Then Jeremiah asked King Zedekiah: What crime have I committed against you, your administrators, or these people? Why have you put me in prison? Where are the prophets who told you that the king of Babylon would not attack you and this land? Your Majesty, please listen, and accept my plea for mercy. Do not return me to the scribe Jonathan's house, or I will die there. King Zedekiah gave the command to have Jeremiah put in the courtyard of the prison. He gave him a loaf of bread every day from the bakers' street until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the prison.
At that time the army of the king of Babylon was blockading Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah was locked up in the courtyard of the prison. This prison was in the palace of the king of Judah. When King Zedekiah of Judah locked up Jeremiah, Zedekiah asked him: Why are you prophesying? You are saying, 'this is what Jehovah says: I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.
King Zedekiah answered: Very well, then, do what you want to with him. I cannot stop you. So they took me and let me down by ropes into Prince Malchiah's well, which was in the palace courtyard. There was no water in the well, only mud, and I sank down in it. Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, a eunuch (officer) who worked in the royal palace, heard that they had put me in the well. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. read more.
So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king: Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city. Then the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, Take with you three men and to pull him out of the well before he dies. So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes would not hurt me. I did this. So they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard. On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
So Ebedmelech went there and said to the king: Your Majesty, what these men have done is wrong. They have put Jeremiah in the well, where he is sure to die of starvation, since there is no more food in the city. Then the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, Take with you three men and to pull him out of the well before he dies. So Ebedmelech went with the men to the palace storeroom and got some worn-out clothing which he let down to me by ropes. He told me to put the rags under my arms, so that the ropes would not hurt me. I did this. So they pulled me up out of the well. After that I was kept in the courtyard. On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation. I was kept in the palace courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Zedekiah » Made king of judah by nebuchadnezzar » Seeks the intercession of jeremiah with God on his behalf
King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to the prophet Jeremiah. They asked him: Please pray to Jehovah our God for us.
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah. King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah. The king said to Jeremiah: Please inquire of Jehovah on our behalf. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us. Perhaps Jehovah will deal with us with all his wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us. Jeremiah responded to them: Say the following Zedekiah:
On another occasion King Zedekiah had me brought to him at the third entrance to the temple. He said: I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the whole truth. I answered: If I tell you the truth, you will put me to death, and if I give you advice, you will not pay any attention. So King Zedekiah promised me in secret: I swear by the living God, the God who gave us life, that I will not put you to death or hand you over to the men who want to kill you. read more.
Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation.
Then I told Zedekiah that Jehovah, the God of Israel said: If you surrender to the king of Babylon's officers, your life will be spared, and this city will not be burned down. Both you and your family will be spared. But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians. They will burn it down, and you will not escape from them. The king answered: I am afraid of our own people who have deserted to the Babylonians. I may be handed over to them and tortured. I said: You will not be handed over to them. I beg you to obey Jehovah's message. Then all will go well with you, and your life will be spared. Jehovah has shown me in a vision what will happen if you refuse to surrender. In it I saw all the women left in Judah's royal palace being led out to the king of Babylonia's officers. Listen to what they were saying as they went. The king's best friends misled him, they overruled him. And now that his feet have sunk in the mud, his friends have left him. Then I added: All your women and children will be taken out to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylonia. And this city will be burned to the ground. Zedekiah replied: Do not let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger. If the officials hear that I have talked with you, they will come and ask you what we said. They will promise not to put you to death if you tell them everything. Just tell them you were begging me not to send you back to prison to die there. Then all the officials came and questioned me. I told them exactly what the king had told me to say. There was nothing else they could do, because no one had overheard the conversation.