Jeremias 39

ARC · Chapter 39/52

1No anno nono de Zedekias, rei de Judah, no mez decimo, veiu Nabucodonozor, rei de Babylonia, todo o seu exercito, contra Jerusalem, e a cercaram.

2No anno undecimo de Zedekias, no quarto mez, aos nove do mez, se fez a brecha na cidade.

3E entraram n'ella todos os principes do rei de Babylonia, e pararam na porta do meio, a saber: Nergal-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsecim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer, Rab-mag, e todo o resto dos principes do rei de Babylonia.

4E succedeu que, vendo-os Zedekias, rei de Judah, e todos os homens de guerra, fugiram, e sairam de noite da cidade, pelo caminho do jardim do rei, pela porta d'entre os dois muros; e saiu pelo caminho da campina.

5Porém o exercito dos chaldeos os perseguiu; e alcançaram a Zedekias nas campinas de Jericó, e o prenderam, e o fizeram subir a Nabucodonozor, rei de Babylonia, a Ribla, na terra de Hamath, e o sentenciou.

6E o rei de Babylonia matou os filhos de Zedekias em Ribla, diante dos meus olhos: tambem matou o rei de Babylonia a todos os nobres de Judah.

7E cegou os olhos de Zedekias, e o atou com duas cadeias de bronze, para leval-o a Babylonia.

8E os chaldeos queimaram a fogo a casa do rei e as casas do povo, e derribaram os muros de Jerusalem.

9E o resto do povo, que ficou na cidade, e os rebeldes que tinham caido para elle, e o resto do povo que ficou, levou Nebuzaradan, capitão da guarda, a Babylonia.

10Porém dos pobres de entre o povo que não tinha nada, deixou Nebuzaradan, capitão da guarda, alguns na terra de Judah; e deu-lhes vinhas e campos n'aquelle dia.

11Mas Nabucodonozor, rei de Babylonia, havia dado ordem ácerca de Jeremias, na mão de Nebuzaradan, capitão dos da guarda, dizendo:

12Toma-o, e põe sobre elle os teus olhos, e não lhe faças nenhum mal; antes, como elle te disser, assim usarás com elle.

13Enviou pois Nebuzaradan, capitão dos da guarda, e Nebus-hasban, Rab-saris, Nergal-sarezer, Rab-mag, e todos os principes do rei de Babylonia:

14Enviaram pois, e tomaram a Jeremias do atrio da guarda, e o entregaram a Gedalias, filho de Ahicam, filho de Saphan, para que o levasse á casa; e ficou entre o povo.

15Tambem a Jeremias veiu a palavra do Senhor, estando elle ainda encerrado no atrio da guarda, dizendo:

16Vae, e falla a Ebed-melech, o ethiope, dizendo: Assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, Deus de Israel: Eis que eu trarei as minhas palavras sobre esta cidade para mal e não para bem: e serão cumpridas diante de ti n'aquelle dia.

17Porém te farei escapar n'aquelle dia, diz o Senhor, e não serás entregue na mão dos homens perante cuja face tu temes.

18Porque certamente te livrarei, e não cairás á espada: mas a tua alma terás por despojo, porquanto confiaste em mim, diz o Senhor.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Jerusalem finally falls to the Babylonians after a long siege. Zedekiah is captured while trying to flee, his sons are killed before his eyes, and he is blinded and taken to Babylon. Jeremiah is set free and protected.

Explanation

This is the historical climax of the entire book: after decades of ignored warnings, the prophesied destruction finally happens exactly as Jeremiah had repeatedly announced. Zedekiah's cruel fate — watching his own sons killed as the last image before his eyes were put out — literally fulfills an earlier prophecy that he would see the king of Babylon 'face to face' (32:4) before losing his sight. Amid the national tragedy, God specifically cares for Jeremiah and Ebed-melech, showing that even amid severe collective judgments, individual faithfulness does not go unnoticed.

Fun facts

  • The fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC is confirmed by multiple historical sources, including the Babylonian Chronicles and archaeological excavations revealing layers of fire destruction dated to that exact period.
  • Blinding important prisoners of war was a documented practice in various ancient Near Eastern cultures, used both as punishment and as a way to prevent future military or political leadership.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Jeremias 39:1Dates the start of the final siege: the ninth year of Zedekiah, the tenth month -- around January 588 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar surrounded Jerusalem for the last time.
  2. Jeremias 39:2Zedekiah’s punishment follows a cruel pattern common in that era. Killing his sons in front of his own eyes before blinding him ensured that this would be the last thing he ever saw, and that no direct heir would remain to claim the throne afterward.
  3. Jeremias 39:3Lists the high Babylonian officials who took the middle gate of the city after the breach in the wall -- foreign names documenting the exact moment Jerusalem was taken.
  4. Jeremias 39:4Zedekiah and his soldiers try to flee at night through a passage between two walls near the king’s garden, heading toward the plain of the Jordan -- a desperate escape as soon as the city fell.
  5. Jeremias 39:5The escape fails: the Babylonian army catches up with Zedekiah on the plains of Jericho and takes him to Riblah, in the territory of Hamath, where Nebuchadnezzar was based, to be judged in person.
  6. Jeremias 39:6The sentence is brutal: Zedekiah’s sons are executed in front of him at Riblah, along with all the nobles of Judah -- the last thing he would see before being blinded.
  7. Jeremias 39:7After killing his sons, Nebuchadnezzar blinds Zedekiah and binds him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon -- fulfilling the strange prophecy of chapter 34, that he would see the eyes of the Babylonian king but never see anything again after that.
  8. Jeremias 39:8The Babylonians burn the royal palace and the houses of the people, and also tear down the walls of Jerusalem -- the complete physical destruction of the capital.
  9. Jeremias 39:9Nebuzaradan, the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, deports to Babylon the rest of the population, along with those who had already deserted to the Babylonian side during the siege.
  10. Jeremias 39:10Only the poorest, who had nothing to lose, are left in the land, and they are even given fields and vineyards -- a detail showing that not the whole population was exiled, contrary to what is sometimes assumed.
  11. Jeremias 39:11It is striking that the king of Babylon himself, Nebuchadnezzar, gives the express order to treat Jeremiah well. It shows that the prophet’s reputation, including his counsel that resisting the Babylonians was pointless, had reached even the enemy’s court.
  12. Jeremias 39:12Nebuchadnezzar’s order concerning Jeremiah calls for full protection: take good care of him and grant whatever he asks -- a surprisingly respectful treatment coming from the foreign conqueror.
  13. Jeremias 39:13Lists the Babylonian officials put in charge of carrying out the order to care for Jeremiah -- the same group of high commanders mentioned at the taking of the city.
  14. Jeremias 39:14Jeremiah is taken out of the court of the guard and handed over to Gedaliah, the Jew the Babylonians would choose to govern what remained of Judah -- he begins to live freely among the people.
  15. Jeremias 39:15A transition formula: this word from God to Ebedmelech had come earlier, still during the siege, but the book only records it now, after the account of the city’s fall.
  16. Jeremias 39:16God confirms to Ebedmelech, the Ethiopian who saved Jeremiah from the cistern in chapter 38, that the destruction of Jerusalem will indeed happen as announced.
  17. Jeremias 39:17But along with the confirmation comes a personal promise: Ebedmelech will be spared in the midst of the general disaster, free from the people he feared.
  18. Jeremias 39:18The reason for the protection is explicit: he trusted in God when he risked his own position to save Jeremiah -- an act of courage now rewarded with his life.

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