The Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon

39 In the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to it.(A) In the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, on the ninth day of the month, the city was broken into.(B) All the officials of the king of Babylon entered and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar, Nebusarsechim[a] the chief of staff, Nergal-sharezer the chief soothsayer, and all the rest of the officials of Babylon’s king.(C)

When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the fighting men saw them, they fled. They left the city at night by way of the king’s garden(D) through the city gate between the two walls. They left along the route to the Arabah.(E) However, the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They arrested him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, at Riblah in the land of Hamath. The king passed sentence on him there.(F)

At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all Judah’s nobles. Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon.(G) The Chaldeans next burned down the king’s palace and the people’s houses and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 39:3 LXX; MT reads Samgar-nebu, Sarsechim

Jerusalem Captured

39 [a]Now when Jerusalem was captured [b](A)in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was (B)breached. Then all the (C)officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the (D)Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the [c]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the [d]Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. And when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they (E)fled and left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate (F)between the two walls; and he went out toward the [e]Arabah. But the army of the (G)Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the (H)plains of Jericho; and they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at (I)Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he [f]passed sentence on him. Then the (J)king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah (K)before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the (L)nobles of Judah. He then (M)blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in (N)shackles of bronze to bring him to (O)Babylon. The Chaldeans also (P)burned the king’s palace and the houses of the people with fire, and they (Q)tore down the walls of Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 39:1 Ch 38:28b in Heb
  2. Jeremiah 39:1 Ch 39:1 in Heb
  3. Jeremiah 39:3 I.e., chief official
  4. Jeremiah 39:3 I.e., title of a high official
  5. Jeremiah 39:4 I.e., Jordan valley
  6. Jeremiah 39:5 Lit spoke judgments with