18. You must not refuse to surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, Jerusalem will be given to the Babylonian army. They will burn Jerusalem down. And you will not escape from them.’”
19. Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I’m afraid of some of the Jews. They have already gone over to the side of the Babylonian army. I’m afraid the Babylonians may hand me over to them. And they will treat me badly.”
20. But Jeremiah answered, “The Babylonians will not hand you over to the Jews. Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then things will go well for you. And your life will be saved.
21. But if you refuse to surrender to the Babylonians, the Lord has shown me what will happen.
22. All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out. They will be taken to the important officers of the king of Babylon. Your women will make fun of you with this song:‘Your good friends led you the wrong way and were stronger than you.Those were friends that you trusted.Your feet are stuck in the mud.Your friends have left you.’
23. “All your wives and children will be brought out. They will be given to the Babylonian army. You yourself will not even escape from them. You will be taken prisoner by the king of Babylon. And Jerusalem will be burned down.”
24. Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not tell anyone that I have been talking to you. If you do, you will die.
25. Those officers might find out that I talked to you. Then they will come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to King Zedekiah. And tell us what King Zedekiah said to you. Don’t keep any secrets from us. If you don’t tell us everything, we will kill you.’
26. If they ask you, tell them this: ‘I was begging the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die.’”
27. The officers did come to question Jeremiah. So he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. Then the officers said no more to Jeremiah. This was because no one had heard what Jeremiah and the king had discussed.
28. So Jeremiah stayed under guard in the courtyard until the day Jerusalem was captured.