The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 In the ninth year of Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah, in the tenth month, N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel marched against Yerushalayim with his entire army and began to lay siege against it.
1
And it came about, that when Jerusalem was taken, (in the ninth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, with all his army, came against Jerusalem, shutting it in on every side;
2 On the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu, they broke through into the city.
2
In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the town was broken into:)
3 All the officers of the king of Bavel entered and sat at the Middle Gate - Nergal-Sar'etzer, Samgar-N'vo, Sars'khim the Rav-Saris, Nergal-Sar'etzer the Rav-Mag and all the other officers of the king of Bavel.
3
All the captains of the king of Babylon came in and took their places in the middle doorway of the town, Nergal-shar-ezer, ruler of Sin-magir, the Rabmag, and Nebushazban, the Rab-saris, and all the captains of the king of Babylon.
4 When Tzidkiyahu the king of Y'hudah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, leaving the city by night through the king's garden, exiting from the gate between the two walls, and continuing out by the route through the 'Aravah.
4
And when Zedekiah, king of Judah, and all the men of war saw it, they went in flight from the town by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the doorway between the two walls: and they went out by the Arabah.
5 But the army of the Kasdim went in pursuit of them and overtook Tzidkiyahu on the plains near Yericho. Upon capturing him, they brought him up to N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel at Rivlah, in the land of Hamat, where he passed judgment on him.
5
But the Chaldaean army went after them and overtook Zedekiah in the lowlands of Jericho: and they made him a prisoner and took him up to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, to be judged by him.
6 The king of Bavel slaughtered the sons of Tzidkiyahu before his eyes in Rivlah; the king of Bavel also slaughtered all the leading men of Y'hudah.
6
Then the king of Babylon put the sons of Zedekiah to death before his eyes in Riblah: and the king of Babylon put to death all the great men of Judah.
7 Then he put out Tzidkiyahu's eyes and bound him in chains to be carried off to Bavel.
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And more than this, he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and had him put in chains to take him away to Babylon.
8 The Kasdim burned down the royal palace and the people's houses, and they broke down the walls of Yerushalayim.
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And the Chaldaeans put the king's house on fire, as well as the houses of the people, and had the walls of Jerusalem broken down.
9 N'vuzar'adan commander of the guard then deported to Bavel the remaining population of the city, the deserters who had defected to him, and the rest of the people remaining.
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Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, took away to Babylon as prisoners, all the rest of the workmen who were still in the town, as well as those who had given themselves up to him, and all the rest of the people.
10 But N'vuzar'adan the commander of the guard left behind in the territory of Y'hudah some of the poor people, those who had nothing, and at the same time gave them vineyards and fields.
10
But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, let the poorest of the people, who had nothing whatever, go on living in the land of Judah, and gave them vine-gardens and fields at the same time.
11 Concerning Yirmeyahu, N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel gave N'vuzar'adan the commander of the guard this order:
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Now Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, gave orders about Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, saying,
12 "Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but treat him as he tells you."
12
Take him and keep an eye on him and see that no evil comes to him; but do with him whatever he says to you.
13 So N'vuzar'adan the commander of the guard, N'vushazban the Rav-Saris, Nergal-Sar'etzer the Rav-Mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Bavel
13
So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, sent Nebushazban, the Rab-saris, and Nergal-shar-ezer, the Rabmag, and all the chief captains of the king of Babylon,
14 sent to have Yirmeyahu taken out of the guards' quarters; they committed him to the care of G'dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, to be brought home. There he lived among the people.
14
And they sent and took Jeremiah out of the place of the watchmen, and gave him into the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him to his house: so he was living among the people.
15 This word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu while he was imprisoned in the guards' quarters:
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Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the place of the armed watchmen, saying,
16 "Go and tell 'Eved-Melekh the Ethiopian that ADONAI-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: '"I am about to fulfill my words about this city for disaster, not for good; when the day arrives, they will come true before your eyes.
16
Go and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: See, my words will come true for this town, for evil and not for good: they will come about before your eyes on that day.
17 But at that time I will rescue you," says ADONAI, "and I will not hand you over to the men you fear.
17
But I will keep you safe on that day, says the Lord: you will not be given into the hands of the men you are fearing.
18 Yes, I will keep you safe; you will not fall by the sword, but you will escape with your life, because you have put your trust in me," says ADONAI.'"
18
For I will certainly let you go free, and you will not be put to the sword, but your life will be given to you out of the hands of your attackers: because you have put your faith in me, says the Lord.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.