^4 (A)Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, ^(B)but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.

²³ All your wives and ^(A)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.”

¹⁸ But if you do not surrender to ^(A)the officials of the king of Babylon, ^(B)then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, ^(C)and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.”

⁴ When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward ^(A)the Arabah. ⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in ^(B)the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at ^(C)Riblah, in the land of Hamath; ^(D)and he passed sentence on him. ⁶ The king of Babylon ^(E)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at ^(F)Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon ^(G)slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ^7 (H)He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.

¹⁷ King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him ^(A)secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, ^(B)“You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

⁴ Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by ^(A)the king's garden, and ^(B)the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the ^(C)Arabah. ⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. ⁶ Then they captured the king ^(D)and brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^(E)Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. ⁷ They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ^(F)and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

²⁵ And you, O profane^{[a] (A)}wicked one, prince of Israel, ^(B)whose day has come, ^(C)the time of your final punishment, ²⁶ thus says the Lord God: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. ^(D)Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted.

^13 (A)And he took one of the royal offspring^{[a] (B)}and made a covenant with him, ^(C)putting him under oath (^(D)the chief men of the land he had taken away), ¹⁴ that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. ^15 (E)But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors ^(F)to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. ^(G)Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he ^(H)break the covenant and yet escape?

^16 (I)“As I live, declares the Lord God, surely ^(J)in the place where the king dwells ^(K)who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. ^17 (L)Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, ^(M)when mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. ¹⁸ He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. ^20 (N)I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon ^(O)and enter into judgment with him there ^(P)for the treachery he has committed against me. ²¹ And all the pick^[b] of his troops shall fall by the sword, ^(Q)and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that ^(R)I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

^12 (A)And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. ^(B)They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. ^(C)He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. ^13 (D)And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And ^(E)I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, ^(F)yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there.