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The Walls of Jerusalem Torn Down

^1 (F1)Now when Jerusalem was captured ^(F2)(C1)in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his military force came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it;² in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city was ^(C1)breached.³ Then all the ^(C1)officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the ^(C2)Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the ^(F1)Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the ^(F2)Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.⁴ Now it happened that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they ^(C1)fled and went out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate ^(C2)between the two walls; and he went out toward the ^(F1)Arabah.⁵ But the military force of the ^(C1)Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the ^(F1)(C2)plains of Jericho; and they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at ^(C3)Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he spoke judgment on him.⁶ Then the ^(C1)king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah ^(C2)before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the ^(C3)nobles of Judah.⁷ He then ^(C1)blinded Zedekiah's eyes and bound him in ^(C2)fetters of bronze to bring him to ^(C3)Babylon.⁸ The Chaldeans also ^(C1)burned with fire the house of the king and the houses of the people, and they ^(C2)tore down the walls of Jerusalem.⁹ And as for the rest of the people who remained in the city, the ^(F1)(C1)defectors who had gone over to him and ^(C2)the rest of the people who remained, ^(C3)Nebuzaradan the ^(C4)captain of the bodyguard took them away into exile in Babylon.¹⁰ But some of the ^(C1)poorest people who had nothing, ^(C1)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had them remain in the land of Judah and gave them vineyards and fields ^(F1)at that time.

Jeremiah Delivered

¹¹ Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave a command about ^(C1)Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying,¹² "Take him and set your eyes to look after him and ^(C1)do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he speaks to you."¹³ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the ^(F1)Rab-saris and Nergal-sar-ezer the ^(F2)Rab-mag and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon;¹⁴ they even sent and ^(C1)took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard and gave him over to ^(C2)Gedaliah, the son of ^(C3)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.

¹⁵ Now the word of Yahweh had come to Jeremiah while he was ^(C1)confined in the court of the guard, saying,¹⁶ "Go and speak to ^(C1)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city ^(C2)for ^(F1)calamity and not for ^(F2)prosperity; and they will ^(C3)take place before you on that day.¹⁷ "But I will ^(C1)deliver you on that day," declares Yahweh, "and you will not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are terrified.¹⁸ "For I will certainly provide you escape, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own ^(C1)life as spoil because you have ^(C2)trusted in Me," declares Yahweh.'"