39 In the ninth year of Zedekiah(A) king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(B) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege(C) to it. And on the ninth day of the fourth(D) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall(E) was broken through.(F) Then all the officials(G) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,(H) and headed toward the Arabah.[a](I)

But the Babylonian[b] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah(J) in the plains of Jericho. They captured(K) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah(L) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles(M) of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes(N) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(O)

The Babylonians[c] set fire(P) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls(Q) of Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 39:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  2. Jeremiah 39:5 Or Chaldean
  3. Jeremiah 39:8 Or Chaldeans

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