Jeremiah 39
1 In the tenth month of the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his whole army arrived at Jerusalem and besieged it.
In the ninth year of Zedekiah the king of Judah, in the tenth month, that Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
2 On the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, the city wall was broken through.
[And] in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, was the city broken in.
3 All the officials of the king of Babylon came in and took over the city, making their headquarters at the Middle Gate. They were Nergal-sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-sarsekim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.
And then came all the princes of the king of Babylon, and sat down in the middle gate; [namely, ] Neregal-sharezer, Samgar-nebu, Sarsechim, the chief of the eunuchs, Neregal-sharezer, the chief of the magi, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the defenders saw them there, they ran away. They escaped from the city during the night through the king's garden, passing through the gate between the two walls, and took the road to the Arabah.
And it came to pass when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, that they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls: and he went out by the way of the plain.
5 But the Babylonian army chased after them and caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and brought him before Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he put him on trial and punished him.
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and they took him, and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Chamath: and he called him to account.
6 The king of Babylon had Zedekiah's sons killed as Zedekiah watched, and he also executed all of Judah's leaders there in Riblah.
And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes; also all the nobles of Judah did the king of Babylon slaughter.
7 Then he had Zedekiah's eyes gouged out, and had him bound with bronze chains and taken away to Babylon.
And the eyes of Zedekiah did he blind; and he bound him with brazen fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
8 The Babylonians burned down the king's palace and the people's houses, and they demolished Jerusalem's city walls.
And the house of the king, and the houses of the people did the Chaldeans burn with fire, and the walls of Jerusalem did they pull down.
9 Then Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried off to Babylon the rest of the people who had stayed in the city, together with those who had deserted and gone over to him.
And the rest of the people that remained in the city, and those who had run away that had run away to him, with the rest of the people that remained, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry off into exile to Babylon.
10 But he left behind in the land of Judah some of the poorest people who didn't have any property. He gave them vineyards and fields at that time.
But of the poorest of the people, who had nothing, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard leave some in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and arable fields at the same time.
11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given orders to Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard regarding Jeremiah, saying,
And Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah through means of Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
12 “Go and get Jeremiah and watch out that nothing bad happens to him. Do whatever he wants.”
Take him, and direct thy eyes to him, and do him not the least harm; but as he may speak unto thee, even so do thou with him.
13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the army captains of the king of Babylon
Then sent Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, and Nebushazban, the chief of the eunuchs, and Neregal-sharezer, the chief of the magi, and all the chiefs of the king of Babylon, —
14 took Jeremiah from the guard's courtyard, and they handed him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. Jeremiah stayed there with his own people.
Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and they committed him unto Gedalyahu the son of Achikam the son of Shaphan, to carry him home: and he remained in the midst of the people.
15 During the time that Jeremiah had been kept prisoner in the guard's courtyard, a message from the Lord had come to him:
But unto Jeremiah was come the word of the Lord while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
16 “Go and tell Ebed-melech the Cushite that this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to keep my promise I made against this city—to harm it and not to help it—you'll see it for yourself when it happens.
Go and say to 'Ebed-melech the Cushi as followeth, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring my words [to fulfillment] against this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before thee on that day.
17 But when that day comes I'm going to save you, declares the Lord. You won't be handed over to the people you're afraid of.
But I will deliver thee on that day, saith the Lord; and thou shalt not be given up into the hand of the men of whom thou hast dread.
18 I promise to rescue you so that you're won't be killed. Your reward will be your life, because you trusted in me, declares the Lord.”
For I will surely let thee escape, and thou shalt not fall by the sword; but thy life shall be unto thee as a booty; because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.
