Jeremiah 39

The Fall of Jerusalem

39In the ^aninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it. ²In the ^beleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the ¹city was penetrated.

^3cThen all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, ²Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, ³Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

^4dSo it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the ⁴plain. ⁵But the Chaldean army pursued them and ^eovertook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to ^fRiblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. ⁶Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his ^geyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the ^hnobles of Judah. ⁷Moreover ⁱhe put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with bronze ⁵fetters to carry him off to Babylon. ^8jAnd the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with ^kfire, and broke down the ^lwalls of Jerusalem. ^9mThen Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who ⁿdefected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. ¹⁰But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the ^opoor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields ⁶at the same time.

Jeremiah Goes Free

¹¹Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, ¹²“Take him and look after him, and do him no ^pharm; but do to him just as he says to you.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; ¹⁴then they sent someone ^qto take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him ^rto Gedaliah the son of ^sAhikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

¹⁵Meanwhile the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ¹⁶“Go and speak to ^tEbed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, ^uI will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. ¹⁷But I will deliver you in that day,” says the Lord, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but ^vyour life shall be as a prize to you, ^wbecause you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lord.’ ”