⁵ and he will ^(A)lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I ^[a]visit him,” declares Yahweh. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will ^(B)not succeed”’?”

⁵ ‘While they are coming to ^(A)fight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have struck down in My anger and in My wrath, and I have ^(B)hidden My face from this city because of all their evil:

⁸ The Chaldeans will also ^(A)return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.”’ ⁹ Thus says Yahweh, ‘Do not ^(B)deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go. ¹⁰ For ^(C)even if you had struck down the entire military force of the Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men remaining among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and ^(D)burn this city with fire.’”

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

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says Yahweh ^(A)God of hosts, the ^(B)God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed ^(C)go out to the ^[a]officers of the king of Babylon, then ^[b]you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will live. ¹⁸ But if you will ^(D)not go out to the ^[c]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.’”