Jeremiah 39:1–40:16
1 1Now when Jerusalem was captured 2ain the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it;
2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was abreached.
3 Then all the aofficials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the bMiddle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the 1Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the 2Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.
4 When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they afled and went out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate bbetween the two walls; and he went out toward the 1Arabah.
5 But the army of the aChaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the bplains of Jericho; and they seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at cRiblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.
6 Then the aking of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah bbefore his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slew all the cnobles of Judah.
7 He then ablinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in bfetters of bronze to bring him to cBabylon.
8 The Chaldeans also aburned with fire the king’s palace and the houses of the people, and they bbroke down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 As for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the 1adeserters who had gone over to him and bthe rest of the people who remained, cNebuzaradan the dcaptain of the bodyguard carried them into exile in Babylon.
10 But some of the apoorest people who had nothing, aNebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields 1at that time.
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about aJeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying,
12 “Take him and 1look after him, and ado nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.”
13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the 1Rab-saris, and Nergal-sar-ezer the 2Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon;
14 they even sent and atook Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to bGedaliah, the son of cAhikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.
15 Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was aconfined in the court of the guardhouse, saying,
16 “Go and speak to aEbed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city bfor disaster and not for 1prosperity; and they will ctake place before you on that day.
17 “But I will adeliver you on that day,” declares the Lord, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.
18 “For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own alife as booty, because you have btrusted in Me,” declares the Lord.’ ”
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after aNebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from bRamah, when he had taken him bound in cchains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.
2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The aLord your God promised this calamity against this place;
3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people asinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.
4 “But now, behold, I am afreeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If 1you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will 2look after you; but if 3you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, 4never mind. Look, the bwhole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.”
5 As 1Jeremiah was still not going back, 2he said, “Go on back then to aGedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has bappointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a cration and a dgift and let him go.
6 Then Jeremiah went to aMizpah to bGedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
7 aNow all the 1commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women and 2children, those of the bpoorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon.
8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with aIshmael the son of Nethaniah, and bJohanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the cNetophathite, and dJezaniah the son of the eMaacathite, both they and their men.
9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, aswore to them and to their men, saying, “bDo not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.
10 “Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to astand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, bgather in wine and csummer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.”
11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in aMoab and among the sons of bAmmon and in cEdom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.
12 Then all the Jews areturned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah
14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of aAmmon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “aLet me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he btake your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the cremnant of Judah would perish?”
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “aDo not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”