⁹ Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve^(A) the Babylonians,^[a](B)” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.^(C)

¹¹ But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke^(A) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live^(B) there, declares the Lord.”’”

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender^(A) 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.^{(B) 18} But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands^(C) of the Babylonians and they will burn^(D) it down; you yourself will not escape^(E) from them.’”

¹⁹ King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid^(F) of the Jews who have gone over^(G) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”

²⁰ “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey^(H) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well^(I) with you, and your life^(J) will be spared.

²⁴ Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”

¹⁶ So Jonathan^(A) made a covenant^(B) with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.^(C)” ¹⁷ And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath^(D) out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.