The Fall of Jerusalem

39 ^(A)In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. ² In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. ³ Then all ^(B)the officials of the king of Babylon came ^(C)and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim ^(D)the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. ⁴ When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward ^(E)the Arabah. ⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in ^(F)the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at ^(G)Riblah, in the land of Hamath; ^(H)and he passed sentence on him. ⁶ The king of Babylon ^(I)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at ^(J)Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon ^(K)slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ^7 (L)He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. ^8 (M)The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, ^(N)and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹ Then ^(O)Nebuzaradan, the ^(P)captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, ^(Q)those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. ¹⁰ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, ^(R)left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

The Lord Delivers Jeremiah

¹¹ Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, ^12 (S)“Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” ¹³ So ^(T)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, ^(U)and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent and took Jeremiah from ^(V)the court of the guard. They entrusted him to ^(W)Gedaliah the son of ^(X)Ahikam, son of ^(Y)Shaphan, that he should take him home. So ^(Z)he lived among the people.

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah ^(AA)while he was shut up in the court of the guard: ¹⁶ “Go, and say to ^(AB)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(AC)Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and ^(AD)not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. ¹⁷ But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men ^(AE)of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸ For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your ^(AF)life as a prize of war, ^(AG)because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord ^(AH)after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from ^(AI)Ramah, when he took him ^(AJ)bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. ² The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, ^(AK)“The Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place. ³ The Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said. ^(AL)Because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you. ⁴ Now, behold, I release you today from ^(AM)the chains on your hands. ^(AN)If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well, ^(AO)but if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. ^(AP)See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. ⁵ If you remain,^[a] then return to ^(AQ)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, ^(AR)whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever you think it right to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. ⁶ Then Jeremiah went to ^(AS)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at ^(AT)Mizpah, and lived with him ^(AU)among the people ^(AV)who were left in the land.

^7 (AW)When all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that ^(AX)the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of ^(AY)the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon, ⁸ they went to Gedaliah at ^(AZ)Mizpah—^(BA)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, ^(BB)Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, ^(BC)Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. ⁹ Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, ^(BD)and it shall be well with you. ¹⁰ As for me, I will dwell at ^(BE)Mizpah, to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But as for you, ^(BF)gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” ¹¹ Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in ^(BG)Moab and among ^(BH)the Ammonites and in ^(BI)Edom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over them, ^12 (BJ)then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they ^(BK)gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.

¹³ Now ^(BL)Johanan the son of Kareah and ^(BM)all the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah ¹⁴ and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of ^(BN)the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. ¹⁵ Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, “Please let me go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered about you would be scattered, ^(BO)and the remnant of Judah would perish?” ¹⁶ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael.”

The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted

52 ^(A)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ² And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^(B)according to all that Jehoiakim had done. ³ For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. ^4 (C)And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. ⁵ So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ⁶ On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. ⁷ Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. ⁸ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. ⁹ Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. ¹⁰ The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at ^(D)Riblah. ^11 (E)He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison ^(F)till the day of his death.

The Temple Burned

^12 (G)In the fifth month, on ^(H)the tenth day of the month—that was ^(I)the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who ^(J)served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. ¹³ And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. ¹⁴ And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and ^(K)the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans. ¹⁶ But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

¹⁷ And the ^(L)pillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the ^(M)bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and ^(N)carried all the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸ And they took away ^(O)the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; ^19 (P)also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and ^(Q)the lampstands and ^(R)the dishes for incense ^(S)and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. ²⁰ As for the two pillars, the one sea, ^(T)the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea,^[a] and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. ²¹ As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,^{[b] (U)}its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. ²² On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was ^(V)five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.

The People Exiled to Babylon

²⁴ And the captain of the guard took ^(W)Seraiah the chief priest, and ^(X)Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; ²⁵ and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and ^(Y)seven men of the king's council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. ²⁶ And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^(Z)Riblah. ²⁷ And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^(AA)Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

²⁸ This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: ^(AB)in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; ^29 (AC)in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; ³⁰ in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

^31 (AD)And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed^{[c] (AE)}Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. ³² And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of ^(AF)the kings who were with him in Babylon. ³³ So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, ³⁴ and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.

The Full Assurance of Faith

^19 (A)Therefore, brothers,^[a] since we have confidence to enter ^(B)the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by ^(C)the new and living way that he opened for us through ^(D)the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have ^(E)a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts ^(F)sprinkled clean ^(G)from an evil conscience and our bodies ^(H)washed with pure water. ^23 (I)Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for ^(J)he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And ^(K)let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ^25 (L)not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ^(M)all the more as you see ^(N)the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For ^(O)if we go on sinning deliberately ^(P)after receiving the knowledge of the truth, ^(Q)there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ^27 (R)but a fearful expectation of judgment, and ^(S)a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ^28 (T)Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy ^(U)on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one ^(V)who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned ^(W)the blood of the covenant ^(X)by which he was sanctified, and has ^(Y)outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, ^(Z)“Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, ^(AA)“The Lord will judge his people.” ^31 (AB)It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after ^(AC)you were enlightened, you endured ^(AD)a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being ^(AE)publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For ^(AF)you had compassion on those in prison, and ^(AG)you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had ^(AH)a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has ^(AI)a great reward. ³⁶ For ^(AJ)you have need of endurance, so that ^(AK)when you have done the will of God you may ^(AL)receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.