Jeremiah 39
1 In the year ninth of Zedekiah [the] king of Judah in the month tenth he came Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon and all army his to Jerusalem and they laid siege on it.
After King Zedekiah had been ruling Judah for almost nine years, King Nebuchadnezzar came in January with his army, and they surrounded Jerusalem.
2 In one [plus] ten year of Zedekiah in the month fourth on [day] nine of the month it was broken into the city.
One and a half years later, after Zedekiah had been ruling for almost eleven years, on July 18, [soldiers from Babylonia] broke through the city [wall. Then they rushed in and captured the city].
3 And they came all [the] officials of [the] king of Babylon and they sat in [the] gate of the middle Nergal-Shar-ezer Samgar Nebu Sar-sekim [the] Rab-saris Nergal-Shar-ezer [the] Rab-mag and all [the] rest of [the] officials of [the] king of Babylon.
Then all the officers of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate [to decide what they would do to the city. They included] Nergal-Sharezer from Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim who was one of the chief army officers, another Nergal-Sharezer, the king’s advisor, and many other officials.
4 And it was just when he saw them Zedekiah [the] king of Judah and all - [the] men of war and they fled and they went out night from the city [the] way of [the] garden of the king in a gate between the two walls and he went out [the] way of the Arabah.
When King Zedekiah and all his soldiers realized that [the army of Babylonia had broken into the city], they fled. [They waited until] it was dark. Then they went out of the city through the king’s garden, through the gate that was between the two walls. Then they started [running] toward the Jordan River Valley.
5 And they pursued [the] army of [the] Chaldeans after them and they overtook Zedekiah in [the] plains of Jericho and they seized him and they brought up him to Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon Riblah towards in [the] land of Hamath and he spoke with him judgments.
But the soldiers from Babylonia pursued the king, and they caught him on the plains near Jericho. They took him to the King of Babylon, who was at Riblah [town] in the Hamath [region]. There the king of Babylon told [his soldiers what] they should do to punish Zedekiah.
6 And he slaughtered [the] king of Babylon [the] sons of Zedekiah at Riblah to eyes his and all [the] nobles of Judah he slaughtered [the] king of Babylon.
They forced Zedekiah to watch while they killed his sons and all the officials from Judah.
7 And [the] eyes of Zedekiah he made blind and he bound him with bronze fetters to take him Babylon towards.
[Then] they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They fastened him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.
8 And [the] house of the king and [the] house of the people they burned the Chaldeans with fire and [the] walls of Jerusalem they broke down.
[Meanwhile, ] the Babylonian army burned the palace and all the other buildings in Jerusalem. And they tore down the city walls.
9 And [the] rest of the people who remained in the city and those [who] had fallen who they had fallen on him and [the] rest of the people who remained he took into exile Nebuzar-adan [the] chief of [the] bodyguards Babylon.
Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the [king’s] bodyguards, forced to go to Babylon [most of] the other people who remained in the city and the Jews who had joined the soldiers of Babylonia.
10 And some of the people poor who not [belonged] to them anything he left Nebuzaradan [the] chief of [the] bodyguards in [the] land of Judah and he gave to them vineyards and fields on the day that.
But he allowed some of the very poor people to remain in Judah, and he gave them vineyards and fields [to take care of].
11 And he commanded Nebuchadnezzar [the] king of Babylon on Jeremiah by [the] hand of Nebuzaradan [the] chief of [the] bodyguards saying.
King Nebuchadnezzar had [previously] told Nebuzaradan to find me. He said,
12 Take him and eyes your set on him and may not you do to him anything harmful that (*Q(K)*) just as he will say to you so do with him.
“Make sure that no one harms him. Take care of him, and do for him whatever he requests you to do.”
13 And he sent Nebuzaradan [the] chief of [the] bodyguards and Nebushazban [the] Rab-saris and Nergal-Shar-ezer [the] Rab-mag and all [the] chiefs of [the] king of Babylon.
So he and Nebushazban, who was one of their chief officers, and Nergal-Sharezer the king’s advisor, and other officers of the King of Babylon
14 And they sent and they fetched Jeremiah from [the] courtyard of the guard and they gave over him to Gedaliah [the] son of Ahikam [the] son of Shaphan to take out him to the house and he remained in among the people.
sent [some men] to bring me out of the courtyard outside of the palace. They took me to Gedaliah who was the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. Then Gedaliah took me to my home, and I stayed [in Judah] among [my own] people [who had been allowed to remain there].
15 And to Jeremiah it had come [the] word of Yahweh when was he shut up in [the] courtyard of the guard saying.
While I was [still] being guarded in the palace courtyard, Yahweh gave me this message:
16 Go and you will say to Ebed Melech the Cushite saying thus he says Yahweh of hosts [the] God of Israel here I ([am] about to bring *Q(k)*) words my against the city this for harm and not for good and they will happen before you on the day that.
“Say this to Ebed-Melech, the official from Ethiopia: ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: “I will do to this city everything that I said that I would do. I will not enable the people to prosper; I will cause them to experience disasters. You will see Jerusalem being destroyed,
17 And I will deliver you on the day that [the] utterance of Yahweh and not you will be given in [the] hand of the people whom you [are] fearful of them.
but I will rescue you from the people whom you are afraid of.
18 For certainly I will rescue you and by the sword not you will fall and it will belong to you life your to plunder for you trusted in me [the] utterance of Yahweh.
You trusted me, so I will save you. You will not be killed by [your enemies’] swords; you will remain alive. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.’”
