21. But if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word which the Lord has shown me:
22. 'Then behold, all of the women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say, "Your close friends Have misled and overpowered you; While your feet were sunk in the mire, They turned back."
23. They will also bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.'"
24. Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know about these words and you will not die.
25. But if the officials hear that I have talked with you and come to you and say to you, 'Tell us now what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us and we will not put you to death,'
26. then you are to say to them, 'I was presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.'"
27. Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. So he reported to them in accordance with all these words which the king had commanded; and they ceased speaking with him, since the conversation had not been overheard.
28. So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured.