1. in the ninth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army marched against Jerusalem and placed it under siege.
2. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, on the ninth day of the fourth month, the city wall was breached.
3. All the princes of the king of Babylon came and took their seats at the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer of Simmagir, a chief officer; Nebushazban, a high dignitary; and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4. When Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all his warriors saw this, they fled, leaving the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through a gate between the two walls. He went in the direction of the Arabah,
5. but the Chaldean army pursued them; they caught up with Zedekiah in the wilderness near Jericho and took him prisoner. They brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced sentence upon him.
6. The king of Babylon executed the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his very eyes; the king of Babylon also executed all the nobles of Judah.
7. He then blinded Zedekiah and bound him in chains to bring him to Babylon.
8. The Chaldeans set fire to the king’s house and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.
9. Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, deported to Babylon the rest of the people left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the workers.
10. But Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, left in the land of Judah some of the poor who had nothing and at the same time gave them vineyards and farms.
11. Concerning Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, gave these orders through Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard:
12. “Take him and look after him; do not let anything happen to him. Whatever he may ask, you must do for him.”
13. Thereupon Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, and Nebushazban, a high dignitary, and Nergal-sharezer, a chief officer, and all the nobles of the king of Babylon,
14. had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard and entrusted to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, to bring him home. And so he remained among the people.
15. While Jeremiah was still imprisoned in the court of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him:
16. Go, tell this to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: See, I am now carrying out my words against this city, for evil and not for good; this will happen in your presence on that day.
17. But on that day I will deliver you—oracle of the Lord; you shall not be handed over to the men you dread.
18. I will make certain that you escape and do not fall by the sword. Your life will be your spoils of war because you trusted in me—oracle of the Lord.