וַיִּשָּׁבַ֞ע הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֛הוּ אֶֽל־יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ בַּסֵּ֣תֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר חַי־יְהוָ֞ה את אֲשֶׁר֩ עָשָׂה־לָ֨נוּ אֶת־הַנֶּ֤פֶשׁ הַזֹּאת֙ אִם־אֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְאִם־אֶתֶּנְךָ֗ בְּיַד֙ הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר מְבַקְשִׁ֖ים אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ (ס)
Y juró el rey Sedechîas en secreto á Jeremías, diciendo: Vive SEÑOR que nos hizo esta alma, que no te mataré, ni te entregaré en mano de estos varones que buscan tu alma.
Otzar Midrashim
"As haShem, the one who made this life for us, lives" (Jeremiah 38:16) — the scripture is missing the word "the one" because he had sworn once before and reneged, as it says, "And against the king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God, he rebelled" (II Chronicles 36:13). And Ezekiel rebuked, "See if I don't, for My vow that he disrespected, and My covenant that he overturned" (Ezekiel 17:19), and Jeremiah said, "If 'as haShem lives' they say, then for falsehood they swear" (Jeremiah 5:2). Thus the scripture is lacking, and the oath is lacking, for it has a word that is written and not read.