Jeremiah 39

English Standard Version

The Fall of Jerusalem

39 ^(A)In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. ²In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. ³Then all ^(B)the officials of the king of Babylon came ^(C)and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim ^(D)the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. ⁴When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward ^(E)the Arabah. ⁵But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in ^(F)the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at ^(G)Riblah, in the land of Hamath; ^(H)and he passed sentence on him. ⁶The king of Babylon ^(I)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at ^(J)Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon ^(K)slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ⁷^(L)He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. ⁸^(M)The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, ^(N)and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Then ^(O)Nebuzaradan, the ^(P)captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, ^(Q)those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. ¹⁰Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, ^(R)left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

The Lord Delivers Jeremiah

¹¹Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, ¹²^(S)“Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” ¹³So ^(T)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, ^(U)and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon ¹⁴sent and took Jeremiah from ^(V)the court of the guard. They entrusted him to ^(W)Gedaliah the son of ^(X)Ahikam, son of ^(Y)Shaphan, that he should take him home. So ^(Z)he lived among the people.

¹⁵The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah ^(AA)while he was shut up in the court of the guard: ¹⁶“Go, and say to ^(AB)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(AC)Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and ^(AD)not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. ¹⁷But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men ^(AE)of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your ^(AF)life as a prize of war, ^(AG)because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Jeremiah 39

Common English Bible

Fall of Jerusalem

39 In the ninth year and the tenth month of Judah’s King Zedekiah, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his entire army came against Jerusalem and surrounded it. ²In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the fourth month, they broke through the city walls. ³Then all the commanding officers of the king of Babylon—Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo,^[a] Sarsechim the chief officer, Nergal-sharezer the field commander—entered it and took their places at the middle gate with the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.

⁴When Judah’s King Zedekiah and his troops saw them, they tried to escape at night through the royal gardens and the gate between the two walls, toward the desert plain. ⁵But the Babylonian^[b] army chased them down and caught Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They arrested him and brought him before Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah in the land of Hamath. There the king put him on trial. ⁶The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s children at Riblah before his very own eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the officials of Judah. ⁷Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in chains, and dragged him off to Babylon.

⁸The Babylonians burned down the royal palace and the houses of the people, and they destroyed the Jerusalem walls. ⁹Nebuzaradan the captain of the special guard rounded up the rest of the people who were left in the city, including those who had defected to the Babylonians, and deported them to Babylon. ¹⁰But Nebuzaradan the captain of the special guard left some of the poorest people in the land of Judah. He gave them vineyards and fields at that time.

¹¹Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar gave orders concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the special guard: ¹²“Find Jeremiah and look after him; don’t harm him but do whatever he asks from you.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the special guard, Nebushazban the chief officer, Nergal-sharezer the field commander, and all the commanders of the king of Babylon ¹⁴sent orders^[c] to release Jeremiah from the prison quarters. They entrusted him to Gedaliah, Ahikam’s son and Shaphan’s grandson, so that Jeremiah could move about freely^[d] among the people.

¹⁵The Lord’s word came to Jeremiah when he was still confined to the prison quarters: ¹⁶Go and say to Ebed-melech the Cushite that the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: I’m about to fulfill my words concerning this city, for harm and not for good. You will witness it for yourself on that day. ¹⁷But on that day, declares the Lord:

I will rescue you;
    you won’t be handed over to those you dread.
¹⁸I will defend you;
    you won’t die in battle.
You will escape with your life,
    because you have trusted in me,
        declares the Lord.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 39:3 Or Nergal-sharezer the Simmagir
Jeremiah 39:5 Heb Chaldean and hereafter through Jeremiah
Jeremiah 39:14 Heb lacks orders.
Jeremiah 39:14 Heb uncertain

English Standard Version (ESV)

Common English Bible (CEB)

Jeremiah 39 English Standard Version