Jeremiah Chapter 39

The Fall of Jerusalem

¹ In the tenth month, ninth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and began to lay siege to it. ² The ninth day, fourth month, eleventh year of Zedekiah, they breached the wall. ³ The officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer the Samgar, Nebo-sarsekim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and the rest. ⁴ When Zedekiah and his soldiers saw them, they fled at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls and headed toward the Arabah. ⁵ But the Babylonian army caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him up to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah in Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. ⁶ He executed Zedekiah’s sons right in front of him and executed the nobles of Judah. ⁷ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze restraints, and took him to Babylon. ⁸ The Babylonians burned the king’s palace and the people’s houses and tore down the walls around Jerusalem. ⁹ Nebuchadnezzar exiled to Babylon the rest of the people in the city and the ones that defected to him. ¹⁰ Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, left some people in Judah that didn’t have anything, and gave them vineyards and fields.       Jer 39:1-10

            ¹¹ Nebuchadnezzar gave Nebuzaradan orders about Jeremiah, ¹² “Look after him; don’t harm him. Deal with him like he tells you.” ¹³ So Nebuzaradan, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and the leading officials of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to Gedaliah to take him home. So he stayed among the people.                                    

Jer 39:11-14

¹⁵ A Message from the LORD to Jeremiah

While He Was in the Guardhouse

¹⁶ “Go tell Ebed-melech the Nubian, ‘The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, “I’m about to bring my message on this city for disaster, not prosperity. It’ll take place before you^sg on that day. ¹⁷ But you^sg won’t be given over to the men you dread. ¹⁸ I’ll rescue you so you won’t fall by the sword. You’ll have to save your life by being a reward of war, because you’ve trusted in me.”’”

Jer 39:15-18