rsv Jeremiah:38:14-28 SEEK
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King Zedeki '
ah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the LORD .
The king said to Jeremiah , "
I will ask you a question ;
hide nothing from me ."
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Jeremiah said to Zedeki '
ah , "
If I tell you ,
will you not be sure to put me to death ?
And if I give you counsel ,
you will not listen to me ."
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Then King Zedeki '
ah swore secretly to Jeremiah , "
As the LORD lives ,
who made our souls ,
I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life ."
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Then Jeremiah said to Zedeki '
ah , "
Thus says the LORD ,
the God of hosts ,
the God of Israel ,
If you will surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon ,
then your life shall be spared ,
and this city shall not be burned with fire ,
and you and your house shall live .
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But if you do not surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon ,
then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chalde '
ans ,
and they shall burn it with fire ,
and you shall not escape from their hand ."
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King Zedeki '
ah said to Jeremiah , "
I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the Chalde '
ans ,
lest I be handed over to them and they abuse me ."
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Jeremiah said , "
You shall not be given to them .
Obey now the voice of the LORD in what I say to you ,
and it shall be well with you ,
and your life shall be spared .
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But if you refuse to surrender ,
this is the vision which the LORD has shown to me :
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Behold ,
all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the princes of the king of Babylon and were saying , `
Your trusted friends have deceived you and prevailed against you ;
now that your feet are sunk in the mire ,
they turn away from you .'
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All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chalde '
ans ,
and you yourself shall not escape from their hand ,
but shall be seized by the king of Babylon ;
and this city shall be burned with fire ."
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Then Zedeki '
ah said to Jeremiah , "
Let no one know of these words and you shall not die .
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If the princes hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you , `
Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you ;
hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death ,'
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then you shall say to them , `
I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there .'"
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Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him ,
and he answered them as the king had instructed him .
So they left off speaking with him ,
for the conversation had not been overheard .
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And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken .