Envoys From Babylon^(A)

39 At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon^(B) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery. ² Hezekiah received the envoys^(C) gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold,^(D) the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures.^(E) There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

³ Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,^(F)” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”

⁴ The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

⁵ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word^(G) of the Lord Almighty: ⁶ The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon.^(H) Nothing will be left, says the Lord. ⁷ And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.^(I)”

⁴ For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes^(A) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give^(B) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry^(C) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword.

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request

21 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah^(A) sent to him Pashhur^(B) son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah^(C) son of Maaseiah. They said: ² “Inquire^(D) now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar^[a](E) king of Babylon^(F) is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders^(G) for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”

³ But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^(H) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^[b] who are outside the wall besieging^(I) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵ I myself will fight^(J) against you with an outstretched hand^(K) and a mighty arm^(L) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶ I will strike^(M) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^{(N) 7} After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(O) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(P) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(Q) and to their enemies^(R) who want to kill them.^(S) He will put them to the sword;^(T) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(U)

⁸ “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life^(V) and the way of death. ⁹ Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague.^(W) But whoever goes out and surrenders^(X) to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives.^{(Y) 10} I have determined to do this city harm^(Z) and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands^(AA) of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’^(AB)

²⁵ I will deliver^(A) you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.^[a]

⁶ Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant^(A) Nebuchadnezzar^(B) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.^{(C) 7} All nations will serve^(D) him and his son and his grandson until the time^(E) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate^(F) him.

⁸ “‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish^(G) that nation with the sword,^(H) famine^(I) and plague,^(J) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. ⁹ So do not listen to your prophets,^(K) your diviners,^(L) your interpreters of dreams,^(M) your mediums^(N) or your sorcerers^(O) who tell you, ‘You will not serve^(P) the king of Babylon.’ ¹⁰ They prophesy lies^(Q) to you that will only serve to remove^(R) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. ¹¹ But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke^(S) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live^(T) there, declares the Lord.”’”

¹² I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke^(U) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.^{(V) 13} Why will you and your people die^(W) by the sword, famine and plague^(X) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴ Do not listen^(Y) to the words of the prophets^(Z) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies^(AA) to you. ¹⁵ ‘I have not sent^(AB) them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.^(AC) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,^(AD) both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”

¹⁶ Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles^(AE) from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. ¹⁷ Do not listen^(AF) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.^(AG) Why should this city become a ruin?

Warning to Zedekiah

34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples^(A) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem^(B) and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah^(C) king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.^{(D) 3} You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.^(E) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

⁴ “‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;^{(F) 5} you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire^(G) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,^(H) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

⁶ Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷ while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish^(I) and Azekah.^(J) These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.

Freedom for Slaves

⁸ The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(K) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(L) for the slaves. ⁹ Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^{(M) 10} So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they changed their minds^(N) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³ “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors^(O) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(P) I said, ¹⁴ ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’^[a](Q) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(R) to me. ¹⁵ Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.^(S) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.^{(T) 16} But now you have turned around^(U) and profaned^(V) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

¹⁷ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,^(W) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague^(X) and famine.^(Y) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.^{(Z) 18} Those who have violated my covenant^(AA) and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.^{(AB) 19} The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,^(AC) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, ²⁰ I will deliver^(AD) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.^(AE) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.^(AF)

²¹ “I will deliver Zedekiah^(AG) king of Judah and his officials^(AH) into the hands of their enemies^(AI) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,^(AJ) which has withdrawn^(AK) from you.

⁹ “This is what the Lord says: Do not deceive^(A) yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not! ¹⁰ Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian^[a] army that is attacking you and only wounded men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn^(B) this city down.”

¹¹ After the Babylonian army had withdrawn^(C) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, ¹² Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property^(D) among the people there. ¹³ But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,^(E) the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”^(F)

¹⁷ Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender^(A) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.^{(B) 18} But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands^(C) of the Babylonians and they will burn^(D) it down; you yourself will not escape^(E) from them.’”

¹⁹ King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid^(F) of the Jews who have gone over^(G) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”

²⁰ “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey^(H) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well^(I) with you, and your life^(J) will be spared. ²¹ But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: ²² All the women^(K) left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:

²³ “All your wives and children^(N) will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape^(O) from their hands but will be captured^(P) by the king of Babylon; and this city will^[a] be burned down.”^(Q)

²⁴ Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know^(R) about this conversation, or you may die. ²⁵ If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ ²⁶ then tell^(S) them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house^(T) to die there.’”

²⁷ All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.

²⁸ And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard^(U) until the day Jerusalem was captured.

The Fall of Jerusalem^(V)

This is how Jerusalem^(W) was taken: