² “Thus says the Lord, ‘He who ^(A)stays in this city will die by the ^(B)sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own ^(C)life as booty and stay alive.’ ³ Thus says the Lord, ‘This city will certainly be ^(D)given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’”

Interview with Zedekiah

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord ^(A)God of hosts, the ^(B)God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed ^(C)go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then ^[a]you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will ^[b]survive. ¹⁸ But if you will ^(D)not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city ^(E)will be given over to the hand of the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and ^(F)you yourself will not escape from their hand.’” ¹⁹ Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I ^(G)dread the Jews who have ^[c](H)gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will ^(I)abuse me.” ²⁰ But Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please ^[d](J)obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, that it may go ^(K)well with you and ^[e](L)you may live. 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 ^(M)women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the ^[f]officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,

²³ They will also bring out all your wives and your ^(N)sons to the Chaldeans, and ^(O)you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and ^(P)this city will be burned with fire.’”