19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have adefected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they babuse me.”
20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you. So it shall be awell with you, and your soul shall live.
21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the Lord has shown me:
22 ‘Now behold, all the awomen who are left in the king of Judah’s house shallbe surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say: “Your close friends have1 set upon you And prevailed against you; Your feet have sunk in the mire, And they have1 turned away again.”
23 ‘So they shall surrender all your wives and achildren to the Chaldeans. bYou shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”
In verses 20 and 22, Jeremiah reiterates his position as God's prophet, at the same time reassuring the king, imploring him to obey. Jeremiah urges the king to obey God, turning away from his "friends," Judah's princes of whom he has so much fear. Zedekiah's feet are immersed in mud, or a bog, as in quicksand. He cannot move.
