¹Now when Jerusalem was captured ^2ain 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 ^abreached. 3 Then all the ^aofficials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the ^bMiddle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the ¹Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the ²Rab-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 ^afled and went out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate ^bbetween the two walls; and he went out toward the ¹Arabah. 5 But the military force of the ^aChaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the ^1bplains of Jericho; and they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at ^cRiblah in the land of Hamath, and he spoke judgment on him. 6 Then the ^aking of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah ^bbefore his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the ^cnobles of Judah. 7 He then ^ablinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in ^bfetters of bronze to bring him to ^cBabylon. 8 The Chaldeans also ^aburned with fire the house of the king and the houses of the people, and they ^btore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 And as for the rest of the people who remained in the city, the ^1adefectors who had gone over to him and ^bthe rest of the people who remained, ^cNebuzaradan the ^dcaptain of the bodyguard took them away into exile in Babylon. 10 But some of the ^apoorest people who had nothing, ^bNebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had them remain in the land of Judah and gave them vineyards and fields ¹at that time.

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave a command about ^aJeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, 12 “Take him and set your eyes to look after him and ^ado 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 ¹Rab-saris and Nergal-sar-ezer the ²Rab-mag and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; 14 they even sent and ^atook Jeremiah out of the court of the guard and gave him over to ^bGedaliah, the son of ^cAhikam, 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 ^aconfined in the court of the guard, saying, 16 “Go and speak to ^aEbed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city ^bfor ¹calamity and not for ²prosperity; and they will ^ctake place before you on that day. 17 But I will ^adeliver 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 ^alife as spoil because you have ^btrusted in Me,” declares Yahweh.’”