²⁴ Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about this conversation^[a] or you will die. ²⁵ The officials may hear that I have spoken with you^(A) and come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king; don’t hide anything from us and we won’t kill you. Also, what did the king say to you?’ ²⁶ If they do, tell them, ‘I was bringing before the king my petition that he not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”^{(B) 27} All the officials did come to Jeremiah, and they questioned him. He reported the exact words to them the king had commanded, and they quit speaking with him because the conversation^[b] had not been overheard.