Jeremiah 39

The Fall of Jerusalem

39In January

of the ninth year of King Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar came with his army to besiege Jerusalem.H8671H8141H6667H4428H3063H6224H2320H935H5019H4428H894H2428H3389H6696 2Two and a half years later, on July 18

in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, the Babylonians broke through the wall, and the city fell.H6249H6240H8141H6667H7243H2320H8672H2320H5892H1234 3All the officers of the Babylonian army came in and sat in triumph at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer of Samgar, and Nebo-sarsekim

, a chief officer, and Nergal-sharezer, the king’s adviser, and all the other officers.H8269H4428H894H935H3427H8432H8179H5371H5562H8310H7249H5371H7248H7611H8269H4428H894 4When King Zedekiah and all the soldiers saw that the Babylonians had broken into the city, they fled. They waited for nightfall and then slipped through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden and headed toward the Jordan Valley

.H6667H4428H3063H7200H582H4421H1272H3318H5892H3915H1870H4428H1588H8179H2346H3318H1870H6160 5But the Babylonian

troops chased the king and caught him on the plains of Jericho. They took him to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who was at Riblah in the land of Hamath. There the king of Babylon pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah.H3778H2428H7291H310H5381H6667H6160H3405H3947H5927H5019H4428H894H7247H776H2574H1696H4941 6He made Zedekiah watch as they slaughtered his sons and all the nobles of Judah.H4428H894H7819H1121H6667H7247H5869H4428H894H7819H2715H3063 7Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.H5786H6667H5869H631H5178H935H894 8Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned Jerusalem, including the palace, and tore down the walls of the city.H3778H8313H4428H1004H1004H5971H784H5422H2346H3389 9Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, sent to Babylon the rest of the people who remained in the city as well as those who had defected to him.H5018H7227H2876H1540H894H3499H5971H7604H5892H5307H5307H3499H5971H7604 10But Nebuzaradan left a few of the poorest people in Judah, and he assigned them vineyards and fields to care for.H5018H7227H2876H7604H1800H5971H3972H776H3063H5414H3754H3010H3117

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

11King Nebuchadnezzar had told Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, to find Jeremiah.H5019H4428H894H6680H3414H3027H5018H7227H2876H559 12“See that he isn’t hurt,” he said. “Look after him well, and give him anything he wants.”H3947H5869H7760H6213H3972H7451H6213H1696 13So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard; Nebushazban, a chief officer; Nergal-sharezer, the king’s adviser; and the other officers of Babylon’s kingH5018H7227H2876H7971H5021H7249H5371H7248H4428H894H7227 14sent messengers to bring Jeremiah out of the prison. They put him under the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, who took him back to his home. So Jeremiah stayed in Judah among his own people.H7971H3947H3414H2691H4307H5414H1436H1121H296H1121H8227H3318H1004H3427H8432H5971 15The Lord had given the following message to Jeremiah while he was still in prison:H1697H3068H3414H6113H2691H4307H559 16“Say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian

, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will do to this city everything I have threatened. I will send disaster, not prosperity. You will see its destruction,H1980H559H5663H3569H559H559H3068H6635H430H3478H935H1697H5892H7451H2896H3117H6440 17but I will rescue you from those you fear so much.H5337H3117H5002H3068H5414H3027H582H6440H3016 18Because you trusted me, I will give you your life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”H4422H4422H5307H2719H5315H7998H982H5002H3068