Jeremiah 39
The full text of Jeremiah 39 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came and laid siege to Jerusalem.
2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city wall was broken through.
3 When Jerusalem was captured, all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a Rab-Mag, and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.
4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah.
5 But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him.
6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah.
7 Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
8 The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people.
10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard:
12 'Take him and look after him; don't harm him but do for him whatever he says.'
13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a Rab-Mag and all the other officers of the king of Babylon
14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.
15 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him:
16 'Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite: This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city — words of disaster, not of prosperity. They will be fulfilled before your eyes on that day.
17 But I will rescue you on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear.
18 I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the LORD.'"
Translation notes (7)
- Jeremiah 39:1a The siege began in January 588 BC. The precise recording of the year and month makes this the most historically momentous date in pre-exilic history.
- Jeremiah 39:2a July 587 BC — the wall breach. 9th of Tammuz according to 2 Kgs 25:3; later tradition shifted to 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av) as the date of the temple's destruction. 18 months total siege.
- Jeremiah 39:3a The Hebrew text mentions Nergal-šar-uṣur, a Babylonian name meaning 'Nergal protect the king.' Nebo-Sarsekim was identified on a 2007 clay tablet from the British Museum, confirming the historicity of this figure.
- Jeremiah 39:7a The Hebrew phrase wᵉ'et-ʿênê ṣidqîyyāhû ʿiwar means 'he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah.' The last thing Zedekiah saw was his sons' deaths, followed by darkness. This fulfilled prophecies in 34:3, which said he would 'see the king face to face,' and 32:4.
- Jeremiah 39:10a The Hebrew text indicates that the very poor (dallôt), who had nothing, were not deported and received the vacated land, representing an economic redistribution under Babylonian occupation.
- Jeremiah 39:14a Gedaliah son of Ahikam is the same Ahikam who protected Jeremiah in 26:24 and was the son of Shaphan. The faithfulness of the Shaphanide family to Jeremiah is vindicated by their appointment under the Babylonians.
- Jeremiah 39:18a The Hebrew phrase kî-bāṭaḥtā bî means 'because you trusted in me,' using the same vocabulary of trust found in the description of the blessed man (17:7). Ebed-Melek's rescue of Jeremiah is interpreted as an act of trust in YHWH.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Hebrew and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Jeremiah, is free to read here on the web.
Continue: Jeremiah 40 → · All of Jeremiah · About the TBV · Read Jeremiah 39 in the KJV
Get the app: iOS · Android · Trinity Plus