14King Zedekiah sent and took Jeremiah the prophet to him at the third entrance which is in the house of the LORD, and the king said to Jeremiah, "I am asking you a word; do not hide a word from me."15Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I tell you, will you not put me to death? And if I advise you, you will not listen to me."16Then King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secrecy, saying, "As the LORD lives, who made this soul for us, if I put you to death or if I give you into the hand of these men who are seeking your soul."17Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you surely go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, your soul will live and this city will not be burned with fire, and you will live, you and your house."18But if you do not go out to the officials of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they will burn it with fire, and you will not escape from their hand.19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am anxious about the Judeans who have fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they give me into their hand and they abuse me."20Jeremiah said, "They will not give you over. Please hear the voice of the LORD which I am speaking to you, and it will be well with you and your soul will live."21But if you refuse to go out, this is the word which the LORD has shown me.22Behold, all the women who remain in the house of the king of Judah are being brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon, and they are saying, "Your men of peace have incited you and prevailed against you; your feet have sunk in the mire; they have turned back."23They will bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you will not escape from their hand, for you will be captured by the hand of the king of Babylon and this city will be burned with fire.24Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know of these words, and you will not die."25If the officials hear that I spoke with you and come to you and say to you, "Tell us what you spoke to the king; do not hide from us and we will not put you to death," then tell them what the king spoke to you.26Then you shall say to them, "I am presenting my supplication before the king so that he will not return me to the house of Jonathan to die there."27All the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he told them according to all these words which the king had commanded, and they were silent from him because the word had not been heard.28Jeremiah dwelt in the court of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured, and it happened when Jerusalem was captured.