23. “All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will be burned down.”
24. Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die.
25. If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’
26. then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ”