Jeremiah 38:2

38:2 “The Lord says, ‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. ¹  Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians ²  will live. They will escape with their lives.’” ³ 

Jeremiah 39:18

39:18 I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. ⁴  You will escape with your life ⁵  because you trust in me. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” ⁶ 

Jeremiah 45:5

45:5 Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the Lord, affirm ⁷  that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. ⁸  But I will allow you to escape with your life ⁹  wherever you go.”’”

¹ tn Heb “by sword, by starvation, or by disease.”

² tn Heb “those who go out to the Chaldeans.” For the rendering “Babylonians” for “Chaldeans” see the study note on 21:4.

³ tn Heb “his life will be to him for spoil and he will live.” For the meaning of this idiom see the study note on 21:9. The words and “he will live” have been left out of the translation because they are redundant after “will live” and “they will escape with their lives.”

⁴ sn Heb “you will not fall by the sword.” In the context this would include death in battle and execution as a prisoner of war.

⁵ tn Heb “your life will be to you for spoil.” For the meaning of this idiom see the study note on 21:9 and compare the usage in 21:9; 38:2; 45:4.

⁶ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁷ tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”

⁸ sn Compare Jer 25:31, 33. The reference here to universal judgment also forms a nice transition to the judgments on the nations that follow in Jer 46-51 which may be another reason for the placement of this chapter here, out of its normal chronological order (see also the study note on v. 1).

⁹ tn Heb “I will give you your life for a spoil.” For this idiom see the translator’s note on 21:9 and compare the usage in 21:9; 38:2; 39:18.