Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again

Jeremiah 38

14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, "I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me." 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me." 16 Then King Zedekiah swore y secretly to Jeremiah, z "As the Lord lives, a who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of b these men who seek your life."

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: c If you will surrender to d the officials of the king of Babylon, e then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to d the officials of the king of Babylon, f then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, f and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand." 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Judeans g who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me." 20 Jeremiah said, "You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, h and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you refuse to c surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me:

22 Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying,
i "'Your trusted friends have deceived you
and prevailed against you;
now that your feet are sunk in the mud,
they turn away from you.'

23 All your wives and j your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire."

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 If k the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, 'Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,' 26 then you shall say to them, l 'I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.'" 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained m in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

  1. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:17
    King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, "Is there any word from the Lord ?" Jeremiah said, "There is." Then he said, "You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
  2. Cross References
    Ruth 3:13
    Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.
  3. Cross References
    Isaiah 57:16
    For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.
  4. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:1 - 9
    Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people.
  5. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:2
    Thus says the Lord : He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live.
    Jeremiah 38:21
    But if you refuse to surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me:
    Jeremiah 27:12 - 13
    To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live.
    2 Kings 24:12
    And Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign
  6. Cross References
    Jeremiah 39:3
    Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon.
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:4 - 5
    Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: 'You shall not die by the sword.
  8. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:17
    Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.
  9. Cross References
    Jeremiah 21:10
    For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord : it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 21:10
    For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord : it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
  11. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:13
    When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "You are deserting to the Chaldeans.
  12. Cross References
    Jeremiah 40:9
    Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:17
    Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.
  14. Cross References
    Jeremiah 20:10
    For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my close friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.
  15. Cross References
    Jeremiah 39:6
    The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah.
    Jeremiah 41:10
    Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were left at Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
    Jeremiah 43:6
    The men, the women, the children, the princesses, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah.
  16. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:5
    King Zedekiah said, "Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.
  17. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:20
    Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.
  18. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:2
    At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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