15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not slay me? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hear me.

16 So the King sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the Lord liveth, that made us these souls, I will not slay thee, nor give thee into the hands of those men that seek thy life.

17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord God of hosts the God of Israel, If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babel’s [a]princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burnt up with fire, and thou shalt live, and thine house.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:17 And yield thyself unto them.

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”

16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly(A) to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath,(B) I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”(C)

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(D) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.(E)

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