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18 But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians[a] and they will burn it down. You yourself will not escape from them.’”[b] 19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Babylonians.[c] The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they will torture me.”[d] 20 Then Jeremiah answered, “You will not be handed over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you.[e] Then all will go well with you and your life will be spared.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:18 tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
  2. Jeremiah 38:18 tn Heb “will not escape from their hand.”sn Zedekiah held out this hope of escape until the end. He tried to escape but was unsuccessful (cf. 39:4-5).
  3. Jeremiah 38:19 tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
  4. Jeremiah 38:19 tn Or “and they will badly abuse me.” For the usage of this verb in the situation presupposed, see Judg 19:25 and 1 Sam 31:4.
  5. Jeremiah 38:20 tn Heb “Please listen to the voice of the Lord with regard to what I have been telling you.” For the idiom “listen to the voice” = “obey,” see BDB 1034 s.v. שָׁמַע 1.m. Obedience here is expressed by following the advice in the qualifying clause, i.e., “what I have been telling you.”
  6. Jeremiah 38:20 tn Heb “your life [or you yourself] will live.” Cf. v. 17 and the translator’s note there for the idiom.