Jeremiah 38:24
New International Version
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die.

New Living Translation
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t tell anyone you told me this, or you will die!

English Standard Version
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

King James Bible
Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

New King James Version
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.

New American Standard Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know about these words, and you will not die.

NASB 1995
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

NASB 1977
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

Amplified Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about this conversation and you will not die.

Christian Standard Bible
Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about this conversation or you will die.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Don’t let anyone know about these things or you will die.

American Standard Version
Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

Contemporary English Version
Zedekiah said, "Jeremiah, if you tell anyone what we have talked about, you might lose your life.

English Revised Version
Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

Good News Translation
Zedekiah replied, "Don't let anyone know about this conversation, and your life will not be in danger.

International Standard Version
Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone know about these words and you won't die.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.

NET Bible
Then Zedekiah told Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone know about the conversation we have had. If you do, you will die.

New Heart English Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

World English Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you won’t die.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Zedekiah says to Jeremiah, “Let no man know of these words, and you do not die;

Young's Literal Translation
And Zedekiah saith unto Jeremiah, 'Let no man know of these words, and thou dost not die;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Zedekiah will say to Jeremiah, No man shall know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Sedecias said to Jeremias: Let no man know these words, and thou shalt not die.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah: “Let no one know of these words, and you will not die.

New American Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know about this conversation, or you shall die.

New Revised Standard Version
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone else know of this conversation, or you will die.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words and you shall not die.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Tsedeqia said to Jeremiah: “Let no man know these words, that you will not die!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah: 'Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Then the king said to him, Let no man know any of these words, and certainly thou shalt not die.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jeremiah Rescued
23All your wives and children will be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down.” 24Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die. 25If the officials hear that I have spoken with you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from us, or we will kill you,’…

Cross References
Jeremiah 37:17
Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

Jeremiah 21:2
“Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is waging war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all His past wonders, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”

Jeremiah 34:2-3
The LORD, the God of Israel, told Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. / And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.

Jeremiah 32:3-5
For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying like this? You claim that the LORD says, ‘Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. / Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. / He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”

Jeremiah 1:17-19
Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them. / Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. / They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

2 Kings 25:4-7
Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, / but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him. / The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. ...

2 Kings 24:18-20
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. / And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. / For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Ezekiel 12:12-13
And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land. / But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.

Ezekiel 17:15-21
But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’ / ‘As surely as I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke. / Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives. ...

Isaiah 39:5-7
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of Hosts: / The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. / And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

Isaiah 30:1-3
“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. / They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. / But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 14:9
The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted

Mark 6:26
The king was consumed with sorrow, but because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse her.

Luke 12:4-5
I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. / But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!


Treasury of Scripture

Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and you shall not die.

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Jeremiah 38
1. Jeremiah, by a false suggestion, is put into the dungeon of Malchiah.
7. Ebed-Melech, by suit, gets him some enlargement.
14. Upon secret conference, he counsels the king by yielding to save his life.
24. By the king's instructions he conceals the conference from the princes.














Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah
The name "Zedekiah" means "The Lord is my righteousness" in Hebrew, yet his actions often contradicted this meaning. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the Babylonian conquest, and his reign was marked by political instability and spiritual decline. His warning to Jeremiah reflects his fear and insecurity as a leader. Historically, Zedekiah was caught between the powerful Babylonian empire and the rebellious factions within his own kingdom. His warning to Jeremiah reveals his desperation to maintain control and avoid further dissent.

Do not let anyone know about this conversation
This phrase highlights the secretive and precarious nature of Zedekiah's rule. The king's insistence on secrecy underscores his lack of faith and trust, both in God and in his own people. In the context of ancient Near Eastern politics, such secrecy was often a tactic to prevent political upheaval. However, it also reveals Zedekiah's moral and spiritual weakness, as he prioritizes his own survival over transparency and truth. Theologically, this can be seen as a failure to rely on God's guidance and protection, choosing instead to manipulate circumstances through human means.

or you will die
This threat of death illustrates the severe consequences faced by prophets like Jeremiah who spoke God's truth in a hostile environment. The Hebrew context here is one of life and death, a common theme in the prophetic books where the stakes are eternal. Zedekiah's threat is a reflection of his fear-driven leadership, where maintaining power is prioritized over righteousness. For Jeremiah, this was a test of faith and courage, as he was called to deliver God's message despite the personal risk. This phrase serves as a reminder of the cost of discipleship and the courage required to stand for truth in the face of opposition.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Zedekiah
צִדְקִיָּ֜הוּ (ṣiḏ·qî·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6667: Zedekiah -- 'Yah is righteousness', six Israelites

warned
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

Jeremiah,
יִרְמְיָ֗הוּ (yir·mə·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3414: Jeremiah -- 'Yah loosens', the name of a number of Israelites

“Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

let anyone
אִ֛ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

know
יֵדַ֥ע (yê·ḏa‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

about this
הָאֵ֖לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

conversation,
בַּדְּבָֽרִים־ (bad·də·ḇā·rîm-)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

or
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

you will die.
תָמֽוּת׃ (ṯā·mūṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 38:24 Then said Zedekiah to Jeremiah Let no (Jer.)
Jeremiah 38:23
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