Jeremiah 39:7-18

Then, he ordered that Zedekiah be bound with chains and have his eyes gouged out. Blinded, King Zedekiah was dragged off to distant Babylon. Meanwhile in Jerusalem, the Babylonians demolished the city walls, and burned down the temple of YAHWEH and the king’s royal palace. Nebuzaradan the field general held captive anyone left behind in Jerusalem and the deserters who had gone over to him and took them all away to distant Babylon. But he left behind some of the extremely poor people in the land of Judah. They owned nothing, so he gave them fields and vineyards to possess as their own. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders to Nebuzaradan, the field general: “Find Jeremiah, look after him well, and don’t harm him. Do for him whatever he asks.” Nebuzaradan the field general, Nebushazban the chief palace official, and Nergal-Sharezer a high official, along with the other officers of King Nebuchadnezzar, dispatched some men to bring me from the courtyard of the guardhouse. They entrusted me to the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam, grandson of Shaphan, and told him to make sure I get home safely. And so, I stayed with the people who remained in Judah. YAHWEH While I was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse, YAHWEH spoke to me and said, “Go and prophesy to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian and tell him what I, YAHWEH, God of Israel, Commander of Angel Armies have to say: ‘I am going to do what I promised to do to this city, and it will not be good but disastrous. And you will see it come true before your eyes. But I will rescue you that day, declares YAHWEH, and you will not be handed over to the people you fear. I will certainly protect you so that no one will kill you. Yes, your life will be your reward because you have put your trust in me, declares YAHWEH.’ ”