38:14 西底家王打發人帶領先知耶利米，進耶和華殿中第三門裡見王。王就對耶利米說：「我要問你一件事，你絲毫不可向我隱瞞。」
38:15 耶利米對西底家說：「我若告訴你，你豈不定要殺我嗎？我若勸戒你，你必不聽從我。」
38:16 西底家王就私下向耶利米說：「我指著那造我們生命之永生的耶和華起誓：我必不殺你，也不將你交在尋索你命的人手中。」
38:17 耶利米對西底家說：「耶和華
─萬軍之上帝、以色列的上帝如此說：你若出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，你的命就必存活，這城也不致被火焚燒，你和你的全家都必存活。
38:18 你若不出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，這城必交在迦勒底人手中。他們必用火焚燒，你也不得脫離他們的手。」
38:19 西底家王對耶利米說：「我怕那些投降迦勒底人的猶大人，恐怕迦勒底人將我交在他們手中，他們戲弄我。」
38:20 耶利米說：「迦勒底人必不將你交出。求你聽從我對你所說耶和華的話，這樣你必得好處，你的命也必存活。
38:21 你若不肯出去，耶和華指示我的話乃是這樣：
38:22 猶大王宮裡所剩的婦女必都帶到巴比倫王的首領那裡。這些婦女必說：你知己的朋友催逼你，勝過你；見你的腳陷入淤泥中，就轉身退後了。
38:23 「人必將你的后妃和你的兒女帶到迦勒底人那裡；你也不得脫離他們的手，必被巴比倫王的手捉住；你也必使這城被火焚燒。」
38:24 西底家對耶利米說：「不要使人知道這些話，你就不至於死。
38:25 首領若聽見了我與你說話，就來見你，問你說：『你對王說甚麼話不要向我們隱瞞，我們就不殺你。王向你說甚麼話也要告訴我們。』
38:26 你就對他們說：『我在王面前懇求不要叫我回到約拿單的房屋死在那裡。』」
38:27 隨後眾首領來見耶利米，問他，他就照王所吩咐的一切話回答他們。他們不再與他說話，因為事情沒有洩漏。
38:28 於是耶利米仍在護衛兵的院中，直到耶路撒冷被攻取的日子。
14 King
Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah and received him at the third entrance
of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I
have something to ask you; do not hide anything from me.” 15Jeremiah
said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will put me to death, will you not? And
if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16So King Zedekiah
swore an oath in secret to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives,
who gave us our lives, I will not put you to death or hand you over to these
men who seek your life.”
17 Then
Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God
of hosts, the God of Israel, If you will only surrender to the officials 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. 18But if you do
not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be
handed over to the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you
yourself shall not escape from their hand.” 19King Zedekiah said to
Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I
might be handed over to them and they would abuse me.” 20Jeremiah
said, “That will not happen. Just obey the voice of the Lord
in what I say to you, and it shall go well with you, and your life shall be
spared. 21But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what
the Lord has shown me— 22a vision of all the
women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the
officials of the king of Babylon and saying,
‘Your trusted friends have seduced you
and have overcome you;
Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,
they desert you.’
23 All
your wives and your children shall be led out to the Chaldeans, 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.”
24 Then
Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone else know of this conversation,
or you will die. 25If the officials should hear that I have spoken
with you, and they should come and say to you, ‘Just tell us what you said to
the king; do not conceal it from us, or we will put you to death. What did the
king say to you?’ 26then you shall say to them, ‘I was presenting my
plea to the king not to send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’ ” 27All the officials did come to
Jeremiah and questioned him; and he answered them in the very words the king
had commanded. So they stopped questioning him, for the conversation had not
been overheard. 28And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard
until the day that Jerusalem was taken.
************
西底家王和先知耶利米在這裡有非常私密的對話，但是耶利米還是堅定的將上帝的心意告訴西底家王：「你若出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，你的命就必存活，這城也不致被火焚燒，你和你的全家都必存活。你若不出去歸降巴比倫王的首領，這城必交在迦勒底人手中。他們必用火焚燒，你也不得脫離他們的手。」
國王是聽得明白，但是身不由己，為了救耶利米，就使用了權宜之計，告訴耶利米：「首領若聽見了我與你說話，就來見你，問你說：『你對王說甚麼話不要向我們隱瞞，我們就不殺你。王向你說甚麼話也要告訴我們。』你就對他們說：『我在王面前懇求不要叫我回到約拿單的房屋死在那裡。』」
這也道出國王和先知的辛苦，因為成為領袖者，常常受到群眾左右，如何能保護自己又不違背上帝的命令，或是能繼續領導或影響人，常常需要超然的智慧，圓滑的手段，目的是要使上帝的旨意成全，保護該保護的人，不是用來圖謀權力、操縱別人！
