Jeremiah 38:18-21

38:18 But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over to the Babylonians ¹  and they will burn it down. You yourself will not escape from them.’” ²  38:19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Babylonians. ³  The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they will torture me.” ⁴  38:20 Then Jeremiah answered, “You will not be handed over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you. ⁵  Then all will go well with you and your life will be spared. ⁶  38:21 But if you refuse to surrender, the Lord has shown me a vision of what will happen. Here is what I saw:

[38:18]  ¹ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

[38:18]  ² tn Heb “will not escape from their hand.”

[38:19]  ³ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.

[38:19]  ⁴ 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.

[38:20]  ⁵ 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.

[38:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “your life [or you yourself] will live.” Compare v. 17 and the translator’s note there for the idiom.