Jeremiæ 39
1 anno nono Sedeciae regis Iuda mense decimo venit Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis et omnis exercitus eius ad Hierusalem et obsidebant eam
After King Zedekiah had been ruling Judah for almost nine years, King Nebuchadnezzar came in January with his army, and they surrounded Jerusalem.
2 undecimo autem anno Sedeciae mense quarto quinta mensis aperta est civitas
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 et ingressi sunt omnes principes regis Babylonis et sederunt in porta media Neregel Sereser Semegar Nabu Sarsachim Rabsares Neregel Sereser Rebmag et omnes reliqui principes regis Babylonis
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 cumque vidisset eos Sedecias rex Iuda et omnes viri bellatores fugerunt et egressi sunt nocte de civitate per viam horti regis et per portam quae erat inter duos muros et egressi sunt ad viam deserti
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 persecutus est autem eos exercitus Chaldeorum et conprehenderunt Sedeciam in campo solitudinis hiericuntinae et captum adduxerunt ad Nabuchodonosor regem Babylonis in Reblatha quae est in terra Emath et locutus est ad eum iudicia
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 et occidit rex Babylonis filios Sedeciae in Reblatha in oculis eius et omnes nobiles Iuda occidit rex Babylonis
They forced Zedekiah to watch while they killed his sons and all the officials from Judah.
7 oculos quoque Sedeciae eruit et vinxit eum conpedibus ut duceretur in Babylonem
[Then] they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They fastened him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.
8 domum quoque regis et domum vulgi succenderunt Chaldei igni et murum Hierusalem subverterunt
[Meanwhile, ] the Babylonian army burned the palace and all the other buildings in Jerusalem. And they tore down the city walls.
9 et reliquias populi quae remanserunt in civitate et perfugas qui transfugerant ad eum et superfluos vulgi qui remanserant transtulit Nabuzardan magister militum in Babylonem
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 et de plebe pauperum qui nihil penitus habebant dimisit Nabuzardan magister militum in terra Iuda et dedit eis vineas et cisternas in die illa
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 praeceperat autem Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis de Hieremia Nabuzardan magistro militiae dicens
King Nebuchadnezzar had [previously] told Nebuzaradan to find me. He said,
12 tolle illum et pone super eum oculos tuos nihilque ei mali facias sed ut voluerit sic facies ei
“Make sure that no one harms him. Take care of him, and do for him whatever he requests you to do.”
13 misit ergo Nabuzardan princeps militiae et Nabu et Sesban et Rabsares et Neregel et Sereser et Rebmag et omnes optimates regis Babylonis
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 miserunt et tulerunt Hieremiam de vestibulo carceris et tradiderunt eum Godoliae filio Ahicam filii Saphan ut intraret domum et habitaret in populo
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 ad Hieremiam autem factus fuerat sermo Domini cum clausus esset in vestibulo carceris dicens
While I was [still] being guarded in the palace courtyard, Yahweh gave me this message:
16 vade et dic Abdemelech Aethiopi dicens haec dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israhel ecce ego inducam sermones meos super civitatem hanc in malum et non in bonum et erunt in conspectu tuo in die illa
“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 et liberabo te in die illa ait Dominus et non traderis in manus virorum quos tu formidas
but I will rescue you from the people whom you are afraid of.
18 sed eruens liberabo te et gladio non cades sed erit tibi anima tua in salutem quia in me habuisti fiduciam ait Dominus
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.’”
