19. And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that have fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
20. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver you. Obey, I beseech you, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto you: so it shall be well unto you, and your soul shall live.
21. But if you refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:
22. And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Your friends have set upon you, and have prevailed against you: your feet have sunk in the mire, and they have turned away from you.
23. So they shall bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans: and you shall not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.
24. Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.
25. But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come unto you, and say unto you, Declare unto us now what you have said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put you to death; also what the king said unto you:
26. Then you shall say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.
27. Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they ceased speaking with him; for the conversation had not been heard.
28. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.