Jeremiah 39
1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.
3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
5 But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.
6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.
7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.
8 And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.
9 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained.
10 But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying,
12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
13 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, and all the king of Babylon's princes;
14 Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.
15 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,
16 Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.
17 But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.
18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Jeremiah 39.
What historical setting lies behind Jeremiah 39?
The chapter narrates the breach of Jerusalem after the long Babylonian siege.
How does Jeremiah 39's fall-of-city narrative shape the chapter?
Chronicle-like prose reports capture, judgment on Zedekiah, burning, deportation, and Jeremiah’s release.
Can Babylonian sources independently confirm Jeremiah’s chronology?
Babylonian chronicles directly document the 597 BCE capture of Jerusalem and wider campaigns, but the surviving chronicle does not narrate the 587/586 destruction in the same detail.
WORTH A CLOSER LOOK
Open the Babylonian Chronicle behind Judah’s final decades
British Museum tablet BM 21946 records Nebuchadnezzar’s western campaigns, including the 597 BCE capture of Jerusalem and the replacement of its king. It does not narrate the later 587/586 destruction in the same way, but it anchors Jeremiah’s Babylonian chronology in an independent cuneiform source.
View the objectResearch PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
- The Babylonian Officials Who Oversaw Jerusalem’s SiegeTheTorah.com
Focused historical study comparing the names and titles of Babylonian officials in Jeremiah 39 with Babylonian administrative records. It explains how officials assembled at a conquered city gate and cautiously evaluates proposed identifications without claiming that every biblical name can be matched with certainty.
Artifacts & Manuscripts2
- Archaeological Evidence of Jerusalem’s Babylonian DestructionCity of David
Describes an excavated Jerusalem public building containing burned wooden beams, collapsed stonework, charred pottery, seals, and objects dating near the Babylonian destruction. These remains illustrate the destructive urban setting behind Jeremiah 39 while not independently confirming every event or person in the chapter.
- Cuneiform Tablet Naming Nebo-SarsekimBritish Museum
Visible Neo-Babylonian administrative tablet naming Nabu-sharrussu-ukin and identifying him by the court title rab sha-resi. The name and title closely correspond to Nebo-Sarsekim, the Babylonian official listed among Nebuchadnezzar’s commanders in Jeremiah 39:3, providing contemporary administrative context for the officials present during Jerusalem’s fall.
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