¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(A)If you will surrender to ^(B)the officials of the king of Babylon, ^(C)then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.

² “Thus says the Lord: ^(A)He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, ^(B)but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live.

¹² To ^(A)Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: ^(B)“Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and ^(C)serve him and his people and live.

³ Then all ^(A)the officials of the king of Babylon came ^(B)and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim ^(C)the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon.

^17 (A)Do not listen to them; ^(B)serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city ^(C)become a desolation?

⁸ “And to this people you shall say: ^(A)‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, ^(B)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who stays in this city shall die ^(C)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and ^(D)surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live ^(E)and shall have his life as a prize of war. ¹⁰ For ^(F)I have set my face against this city for harm and ^(G)not for good, declares the Lord: ^(H)it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

^27 (A)and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is ^(B)the God of hosts.

⁶ if you ^(A)do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, ^(B)or shed innocent blood in this place, ^(C)and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, ^7 (D)then I will let you dwell in this place, ^(E)in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.