Jeremiah 39:4–13

⁴When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,^d and headed toward the Arabah.^ae

⁵But the Babylonian^b army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah^f in the plains of Jericho. They captured^g him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah^h in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. ⁶There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the noblesⁱ of Judah. ⁷Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes^j and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^k

⁸The Babylonians^c set fire^l to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls^m of Jerusalem. ⁹Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,ⁿ and the rest of the people.^{o 10}But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

¹¹Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: ¹²“Take him and look after him; don’t harm^p him but do for him whatever he asks.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers^q of the king of Babylon