⁵ and he will ^(A)take Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” declares the Lord. “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 slain in My anger and in My wrath, and I have ^(B)hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness:

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 the Lord, ‘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 defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and ^(D)burn this city with fire.’”

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

Interview with Zedekiah

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