エレミヤ書 39
Japanese Living Bible
エルサレムの陥落
39 ユダ王国のゼデキヤ王の第九年の十二月末、ネブカデネザルの率いる軍隊は再びエルサレムを攻撃し、町を包囲しました。 2 それから二年後の六月末、ついに彼らは城壁を破り、町を占領しました。 3 バビロン軍の将校はみな入城して中央の門に座り、戦勝祝賀会を開きました。そこにいたのは、ネルガル・サル・エツェル、サムガル・ネブ、サル・セキム、指揮官のネルガル・サル・エツェル、そのほか大ぜいでした。 4 ゼデキヤ王とその護衛兵たちは、町が落ちたのを見て、夜の間に抜け出し、王宮の庭のうしろにある二重の城壁の間にある門を通り、ヨルダンの渓谷に向かって野原を横切ろうとしました。 5 ところがバビロニヤ人は王を追いかけてエリコの草原で捕まえ、ハマテの地リブラにいたネブカデネザルのところへ引き立てました。バビロン王はゼデキヤに宣告を下しました。 6 バビロン王はゼデキヤの目の前で、彼の子どもと、ユダの貴族全員を殺しました。 7 そのあとでゼデキヤの両眼をえぐり出し、鎖につないで、奴隷としてバビロンへ引いて行ったのです。 8 一方、エルサレムの町は王宮もろとも焼き払われ、城壁は無残な姿をさらすばかりでした。 9 親衛隊長ネブザルアダンとその部下は、町に残っている住民と、投降した者をバビロンへ連れて行きました。 10 しかし、すごく貧しいわずかの人たちはそのままユダの各地に残しておき、畑とぶどう園を与えました。 11-12 一方、ネブカデネザル王はネブザルアダンに、エレミヤを捜し出すよう命じました。「あの男が無事かどうか見て来い。十分面倒を見てやり、欲しい物は何でも与えるのだ。」 13 そこで、親衛隊長ネブザルアダン、宦官の長ネブシャズ・バン、指揮官ネルガル・サル・エツェル、そのほかの将校たちは、王の命令を実行に移す相談をしました。 14 まず兵士たちを送ってエレミヤを牢から連れ出し、シャファンの子アヒカムの子ゲダルヤに預け、無事に家へ帰らせることにしました。こうしてエレミヤは、国に残っている人々と共に、故国で暮らすことになったのです。 15 バビロン軍が来る前、エレミヤがまだ牢に閉じ込められていた時、主から次のことばがありました。 16 「エチオピヤ人エベデ・メレクに、こう伝えよ。イスラエルの神である天の軍勢の主は言う。わたしはこの民に、予告した災いをすべて下す。この町をおまえの見ている前で滅ぼすが、 17 おまえは救い出す。おまえがひどく恐れている者の手にかかって殺されるようなことはないから、安心するがいい。 18 わたしに信頼した報いとして、おまえのいのちを助け、危害を受けないように守るから。」
Jeremiah 39
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 39
The Capture of Jerusalem. When Jerusalem was taken, 1 in the ninth year of Zedekiah,(A) king of Judah, in the tenth month,[a] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army marched against Jerusalem and placed it under siege. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the fourth month,[b] the city wall was breached. 3 All the princes of the king of Babylon came and took their seats at the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer of Simmagir, a chief officer; Nebushazban, a high dignitary; and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.[c] 4 When Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all his warriors saw this, they fled, leaving the city at night by way of the king’s garden,[d] through a gate between the two walls. He went in the direction of the Arabah,(B) 5 but the Chaldean army pursued them; they caught up with Zedekiah in the wilderness near Jericho and took him prisoner. They brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in Riblah,[e] in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced sentence upon him.(C) 6 The king of Babylon executed the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his very eyes; the king of Babylon also executed all the nobles of Judah.(D) 7 He then blinded Zedekiah and bound him in chains to bring him to Babylon.(E)
8 The Chaldeans set fire to the king’s house and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.(F) 9 Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, deported to Babylon the rest of the people left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the workers.(G) 10 But Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, left in the land of Judah some of the poor who had nothing and at the same time gave them vineyards and farms.(H)
Jeremiah Released to Gedaliah’s Custody. 11 Concerning Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, gave these orders through Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard: 12 “Take him and look after him; do not let anything happen to him. Whatever he may ask, you must do for him.”(I) 13 Thereupon Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, and Nebushazban, a high dignitary, and Nergal-sharezer, a chief officer, and all the nobles of the king of Babylon, 14 had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard and entrusted to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, to bring him home. And so he remained among the people.(J)
A Word of Comfort for Ebed-melech. 15 While Jeremiah was still imprisoned in the court of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16 Go, tell this to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: See, I am now carrying out my words against this city, for evil and not for good; this will happen in your presence on that day.(K) 17 But on that day I will deliver you—oracle of the Lord; you shall not be handed over to the men you dread. 18 I will make certain that you escape and do not fall by the sword. Your life will be your spoils of war because you trusted in me—oracle of the Lord.(L)
Footnotes
- 39:1 In the ninth year…in the tenth month: the month Tebet (mid-December to mid-January) of the year 589/588 B.C., according to the Babylonian calendar, whose New Year began in March/April.
- 39:2 In the eleventh year…the ninth day of the fourth month: in July, 587 B.C.
- 39:3 The Babylonian officers act as a military tribunal or government, headed by Nergal-sharezer, Nebuchadnezzar’s son and successor.
- 39:4 By way of the king’s garden: along the southeast side of the city; the royal garden was in the Kidron Valley. A gate between the two walls: the southernmost city gate, at the end of the Tyropoeon Valley. The Arabah: the southern Jordan Valley. Zedekiah was perhaps trying to escape across the Jordan when he was captured near Jericho.
- 39:5 Riblah: Nebuchadnezzar’s headquarters north of Damascus; Pharaoh Neco had once used the town as a military post (2 Kgs 23:33).
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