39Verse 1After King Zedekiah had been ruling Judah for almost nine years, King Nebuchadnezzar came in January with his army, and they surrounded Jerusalem.Verse 2One and a half years later, after Zedekiah had been ruling for almost eleven years, on July 18, soldiers from Babylonia broke through the city wall. Then they rushed in and captured the city.Verse 3Then all the officers of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate to decide what they would do to the city. They included Nergal-Sharezer from Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim who was one of the chief army officers, another Nergal-Sharezer, the king’s advisor, and many other officials.Verse 4When King Zedekiah and all his soldiers realized that the army of Babylonia had broken into the city, they fled. They waited until it was dark. Then they went out of the city through the king’s garden, through the gate that was between the two walls. Then they started running toward the Jordan River Valley.Verse 5But the soldiers from Babylonia pursued the king, and they caught him on the plains near Jericho. They took him to the King of Babylon, who was at Riblah town in the Hamath region. There the king of Babylon told his soldiers what they should do to punish Zedekiah.Verse 6They forced Zedekiah to watch while they killed his sons and all the officials from Judah.Verse 7Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They fastened him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.Verse 8Meanwhile, the Babylonian army burned the palace and all the other buildings in Jerusalem. And they tore down the city walls.Verse 9Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the king’s bodyguards, forced to go to Babylon most of the other people who remained in the city and the Jews who had joined the soldiers of Babylonia.Verse 10But he allowed some of the very poor people to remain in Judah, and he gave them vineyards and fields to take care of.
Jeremiah stayed in Judah
Verse 11King Nebuchadnezzar had previously told Nebuzaradan to find me. He said,Verse 12“Make sure that no one harms him. Take care of him, and do for him whatever he requests you to do.”Verse 13So he and Nebushazban, who was one of their chief officers, and Nergal-Sharezer the king’s advisor, and other officers of the King of BabylonVerse 14sent some men to bring me out of the courtyard outside of the palace. They took me to Gedaliah who was the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. Then Gedaliah took me to my home, and I stayed in Judah among my own people who had been allowed to remain there.Verse 15While I was still being guarded in the palace courtyard, Yahweh gave me this message:Verse 16“Say this to Ebed-Melech, the official from Ethiopia: ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom we Israelis worship, says: “I will do to this city everything that I said that I would do. I will not enable the people to prosper; I will cause them to experience disasters. You will see Jerusalem being destroyed,Verse 17but I will rescue you from the people whom you are afraid of.Verse 18You trusted me, so I will save you. You will not be killed by your enemies’ swords; you will remain alive. That will surely happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.’ ”