¹In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came with all his forces to Jerusalem, and they besieged it. ²In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was breached. ³And all the king of Babylon's officials came and sat at the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sarezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sar-Sechim the chief eunuch, Nergal-Sarezer the chief magus and all the rest of the king of Babylon's officials. ⁴And it came to pass, when Zedekiah king of Judah and all the warriors saw them, that they fled and departed from the city by night, by the way through the king's garden at the gate between the pair of walls, and he went out by the way of the arid tract. ⁵But the forces of the Chaldeans pursued them, and they caught up with Zedekiah in the arid tracts of Jericho, and they captured him, and they brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him. ⁶And the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons in Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ⁷And he blinded Zedekiah's eyes, and he bound him in fetters, to bring him to Babylon. ⁸And the Chaldeans burnt the king's house and the houses of the people with fire, and they pulled down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹And Nebuzaradan the chief guard deported the rest of the people who remained in the city, and the defectors who had defected to him, and the rest of the people who remained, to Babylon. ¹⁰But Nebuzaradan the chief guard let the poor among the people, who had nothing, remain in the land of Judah, and he gave them vineyards and fields on that day. ¹¹And Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave commandment concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the chief guard, which said, ¹²“Take him and look after him, and do not do him any harm, but rather deal with him according to how he speaks to you.” ¹³And Nebuzaradan the chief guard, and Nebushazban the chief eunuch, and Nergal-Sarezer the chief magus and all the dignitaries of the king of Babylon sent orders, ¹⁴and they sent men, and they took Jeremiah from the prison courtyard, and they assigned him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, for him to bring him out and to take him home. And he dwelt among the people. ¹⁵Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah when he was imprisoned in the prison courtyard, saying, ¹⁶“Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian and say, ‘This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: «I am about to bring my words to fulfilment on this city, to its detriment and not to its benefit, and they will take place in front of you on that day. ¹⁷But I will deliver you on that day, says the Lord, and you will not be delivered into the hands of the people of whom you are afraid, ¹⁸for I will certainly have you escape, and you will not fall by the sword, and your own life will be your spoil, for you have trusted me, says the Lord.» ’ ”