בַּשָּׁנָה הַתְּשִׁעִית לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂרִי בָּא נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וְכָל־חֵילוֹ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וַיָּצֻרוּ עָלֶיהָ

The description of Jeremiah’s experiences is interrupted by several verses that describe the destruction of the kingdom. First, the chapter provides a historical summary: In the ninth year of Tzidkiyahu king of Judah, in the tenth month, which will later be known as Tevet, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

בְּעַשְׁתֵּי־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה לְצִדְקִיָּהוּ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרְבִיעִי בְּתִשְׁעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הָבְקְעָה הָעִיר

In the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu, approximately one and a half years after the start of the siege, in the fourth month, Tamuz, on the ninth of the month, the wall of the city was breached.

וַיָּבֹאוּ כֹּל שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בְּשַׁעַר הַתָּוֶךְ נֵרְגַל שַׂרְאֶצֶר סַמְגַּר־נְבוֹ שַׂרְסְכִים רַב־סָרִיס נֵרְגַל שַׂרְאֶצֶר רַב־מָג וְכָל־שְׁאֵרִית שָׂרֵי מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל

The Babylonian army entered the city. All the princes of the king of Babylon, who participated in the campaign, came and sat in the Middle Gate, one of the gates of the city. Apparently, they convened a celebratory meeting upon entering Jerusalem, during which they planned their next steps. The first one’s name was Nergal Saretzer Samgar Nevo. Nergal was the name of the Babylonian war god; Nevo was also a Babylonian god. In addition, there was Sarsekhim, the chief official, a high-ranking official in the royal court of Babylon; Nergal Saretzer, the chief magician; and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָם צִדְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וְכֹל אַנְשֵׁי הַמִּלְחָמָה — וַיִּבְרְחוּ וַיֵּצְאוּ לַיְלָה מִן־הָעִיר דֶּרֶךְ גַּן הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּשַׁעַר בֵּין הַחֹמֹתָיִם וַיֵּצֵא דֶּרֶךְ הָעֲרָבָה

It was when Tzidkiyahu king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled, and King Tzidkiyahu and his guard went out from the city at night via the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and he went out via the Arava, in an apparent attempt to escape over the Jordan. Although the Babylonians had laid siege to Jerusalem and surrounded the capital, it is difficult to hermetically seal a city on all sides, even in the case of a relatively small city like Jerusalem. Therefore, when the Babylonian army invaded through the breaches in the wall, there were inevitably gaps among their forces, through which Tzidkiyahu and others managed to escape.

וַיִּרְדְּפוּ חֵיל־כַּשְׂדִּים אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיַּשִּׂגוּ אֶת־צִדְקִיָּהוּ בְּעַרְבוֹת יְרֵחוֹ וַיִּקְחוּ אֹתוֹ וַיַּעֲלֻהוּ אֶל־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל רִבְלָתָה בְּאֶרֶץ חֲמָת וַיְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ מִשְׁפָּטִים

The army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and they overtook Tzidkiyahu in the plains of Jericho. Had Tzidkiyahu fled alone, he might have successfully evaded the enemy. However, accompanied by his family and entourage, he was caught. And they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, to Rivla in the land of Hamat. Nebuchadnezzar himself did not participate in this extensive siege of a relatively small city; perhaps he was present only for the beginning. At the time of the conquest he was residing in his distant base of operations in northern Syria. Tzidkiyahu was brought there, and he, Nebuchadnezzar, who had appointed Tzidkiyahu king and received his commitment to be loyal, spoke judgment with him. He accused Tzidkiyahu of treason, breach of covenant, and violation of his oath of loyalty.

וַיִּשְׁחַט מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל אֶת־בְּנֵי צִדְקִיָּהוּ בְּרִבְלָה לְעֵינָיו וְאֵת כָּל־חֹרֵי יְהוּדָה שָׁחַט מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל

After sentencing him, the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Tzidkiyahu in Rivla before his eyes, so that he should witness their fate, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah in Tzidkiyahu’s presence. These were the nobles who vehemently opposed Babylon; they were apprehended either while fleeing with Tzidkiyahu or were apprehended separately.

ואֶת־עֵינֵי צִדְקִיָּהוּ עִוֵּר וַיַּאַסְרֵהוּ בַּנְחֻשְׁתַּיִם לָבִיא אֹתוֹ בָּבֶלָה

He then blinded Tzidkiyahu’s eyes, and he bound him in bronze chains to bring him to Babylon as a prisoner.

ואֶת־בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֶת־בֵּית הָעָם שָׂרְפוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּים בָּאֵשׁ וְאֶת־חֹמוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם נָתָצוּ

Meanwhile in Jerusalem, the house of the king and the house of the people, individual homes and communal buildings, e.g., synagogues, or this might be a reference to the Temple, the Chaldeans burned with fire, and they smashed the walls of Jerusalem.

וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּעִיר וְאֶת־הַנֹּפְלִים אֲשֶׁר נָפְלוּ עָלָיו וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים הֶגְלָה נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים בָּבֶל

The rest of the people who remained in the city, as the Babylonians did not kill all its inhabitants, and the defectors who defected to him, the enemy commander, as Jeremiah had recommended, and the rest of the people who remained in the areas outside Jerusalem, Nevuzaradan, captain of the guards, exiled to Babylon. The captain of the guards had a prominent role in those times; Potifar filled that position in Pharaoh’s court.

וּמִן־הָעָם הַדַּלִּים אֲשֶׁר אֵין־לָהֶם מְאוּמָה הִשְׁאִיר נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם כְּרָמִים וִיגֵבִים בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא

And of the impoverished people, who had nothing, Nevuzaradan, captain of the guards, left in the land of Judah. Unlike the Assyrians, who exiled entire nations, the Babylonians preferred to restrict the exile to the upper class. This was their method in the first Babylonian exile, when they took King Yehoyakhin and the governing class to Babylon. At this point, they exiled another layer of leadership, in addition to the military and the middle class. Nevuzaradan left in Judah only the destitute, who would not pose a threat, and he gave them vineyards and fields on that day. He distributed among them agricultural areas for them to farm, so that the region would not become a wasteland.

וַיְצַו נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַל־יִרְמְיָהוּ בְּיַד נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים לֵאמֹר׃

The text relates what befell Jeremiah when Jerusalem was captured. Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon issued a command concerning Jeremiah to Nevuzaradan, captain of the guards, into whose charge he had placed the prophet, saying:

קָחֶנּוּ וְעֵינֶיךָ שִׂים עָלָיו וְאַל־תַּעַשׂ לוֹ מְאוּמָה רָּע כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ — כֵּן עֲשֵׂה עִמּוֹ

Take him and set your eyes on him, and do not do anything harmful to him; rather, as he will say to you, so you shall do to him. You must give him complete freedom to decide on his next moves.

וַיִּשְׁלַח נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים וּנְבוּשַׁזְבָּן רַב־סָרִיס וְנֵרְגַל שַׂרְאֶצֶר רַב־מָג וְכֹל רַבֵּי מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל

Nevuzaradan, captain of the guards, who apparently served as the local chief of staff of the Babylonian army as well as the royally appointed official over the Land of Israel, and Nevushazban the chief official, and Nergal Saretzer the chief magician, and all the captains of the king of Babylon sent for Jeremiah to be released with great honor.

וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה וַיִּתְּנוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן לְהוֹצִאֵהוּ אֶל־הַבָּיִת וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם

They sent and took Jeremiah from the court of internment, where he was being held, and delivered him to Gedalyahu, son of Ahikam, son of Shafan, to take him out from the Courtyard of the Guard to the house. Since the Babylonians intended to appoint Gedalyahu to be the governor of Judah, under their supervision, they entrusted Jeremiah in his charge, and he, Jeremiah, dwelled among the people.

וְאֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הָיָה דְבַר־ה' בִּהְיֹתוֹ עָצוּר בַּחֲצַר הַמַּטָּרָה לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Jeremiah, while he was confined in the Courtyard of the Guard, saying:

הָלוֹךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ לְעֶבֶד־מֶלֶךְ הַכּוּשִׁי לֵאמֹר כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מֵבִי אֶת־דְּבָרַי אֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת לְרָעָה וְלֹא לְטוֹבָה וְהָיוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא

Go and speak to Eved Melekh the Kushite, who took you out of the pit against the orders of the princes, saying: So said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing My words upon this city for evil and not for good, and they, these prophecies, will be realized before you on that day.

וְהִצַּלְתִּיךָ בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא נְאֻם־ה' וְלֹא תִנָּתֵן בְּיַד הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה יָגוֹר מִפְּנֵיהֶם

But I will save you on that day – the utterance of the Lord – and you will not be delivered into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid.

כִּי מַלֵּט אֲמַלֶּטְךָ וּבַחֶרֶב לֹא תִפֹּל וְהָיְתָה לְךָ נַפְשְׁךָ לְשָׁלָל כִּי־בָטַחְתָּ בִּי נְאֻם־ה'

For I will facilitate your flight, and you will not fall by the sword; you will have your life as spoils because you trusted Me – the utterance of the Lord.