Zephaniah
[With a wild outcry, stretching forth his hands as if to thrust away something horrible] Jeremiah!
Jeremiah
Why do you shrink from me? What are you afraid of? There is no longer any reason for fear. My words were but wind; my force is spent. Spew me out, and go on your way.
Zephaniah
I tremble before you, man of doom.—He foresaw everything. He alone. That other called on his name.
The Elder
Who called on his name?
Zephaniah
[Utterly crushed] Zedekiah, the king. They brought him in chains, held him fast lest he should turn away his head, forced him to watch the slaughter of his sons. Fain would he have made no complaint. He bit his lip and was silent as the first fell. But when they seized the second, he moved as if to speak. As the third was struck down, a word escaped from his mouth. Not a plea for mercy. He cried, “Jeremiah, Jeremiah.”