8. The Babylonians set fire to the palace and to the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
9. Nebuzaradan, commander of the king’s special guards, took the people left in Jerusalem, those captives who had surrendered to him earlier, and the rest of the people of Jerusalem, and he took them all away to Babylon.
10. But Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, left some of the poorest people of Judah behind. They owned nothing, but that day he gave them vineyards and fields.
11. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard:
12. “Find Jeremiah and take care of him. Do not hurt him, but do for him whatever he asks you.”
13. So Nebuchadnezzar sent these men for Jeremiah: Nebuzaradan, commander of the guards; Nebushazban, a chief officer; Nergal-Sharezer, an important leader; and all the other officers of the king of Babylon.
14. They had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. Then they turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, who had orders to take Jeremiah back home. So they took him home, and he stayed among the people left in Judah.
15. While Jeremiah was guarded in the courtyard, the Lord spoke his word to him:
16. “Jeremiah, go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite this message: ‘This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: Very soon I will make my words about Jerusalem come true through disaster, not through good times. You will see everything come true with your own eyes.
17. But I will save you on that day, Ebed-Melech, says the Lord. You will not be handed over to the people you fear.
18. I will surely save you, Ebed-Melech. You will not die from a sword, but you will escape and live. This will happen because you have trusted in me, says the Lord.’ ”