Jeremiah 39-40

New American Standard Bible

Jerusalem Captured

39 ^[a]Now when Jerusalem was captured ^[b]^(A)in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; ²in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was ^(B)breached. ³Then all the ^(C)officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the ^(D)Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the ^[c]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the ^[d]Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴And when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they ^(E)fled and left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate ^(F)between the two walls; and he went out toward the ^[e]Arabah. ⁵But the army of the ^(G)Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the ^(H)plains of Jericho; and they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at ^(I)Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he ^[f]passed sentence on him. ⁶Then the ^(J)king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah ^(K)before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the ^(L)nobles of Judah. ⁷He then ^(M)blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in ^(N)shackles of bronze to bring him to ^(O)Babylon. ⁸The Chaldeans also ^(P)burned the king’s palace and the houses of the people with fire, and they ^(Q)tore down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹And as for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the ^(R)deserters who had deserted to him and ^(S)the rest of the people who remained, ^(T)Nebuzaradan the ^(U)captain of the bodyguard took them into exile in Babylon. ¹⁰But some of the ^(V)poorest people, who had nothing, ^(W)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields ^[g]at that time.

Jeremiah Spared

¹¹Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders regarding ^(X)Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, ¹²“Take him and ^[h]look after him, and ^(Y)do not do anything harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the ^[i]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the ^[j]Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; ¹⁴they even sent word and ^(Z)took Jeremiah out of the courtyard of the guardhouse and entrusted him to ^(AA)Gedaliah, the son of ^(AB)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.

¹⁵Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was ^(AC)confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse, saying, ¹⁶“Go and speak to ^(AD)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to bring My words on this city ^(AE)for disaster and not for ^[k]prosperity; and they will ^(AF)take place before you on that day. ¹⁷But I will ^(AG)save you on that day,” declares the Lord, “and you will not be handed over to the men of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸For I will assuredly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own ^(AH)life as plunder, because you have ^(AI)trusted in Me,” declares the Lord.’”

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after ^(AJ)Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from ^(AK)Ramah, when he had taken him bound in ^(AL)chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. ²Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The ^(AM)Lord your God promised this disaster against this place; ³and the Lord has brought it and done just as He promised. Because you people ^(AN)sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, this thing has happened to you. ⁴But now, behold, I am ^(AO)setting you free today from the chains that are on your hands. If ^[l]you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will ^[m]look after you; but if ^[n]you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, ^[o]do not come. Look, the ^(AP)whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” ⁵As ^[p]Jeremiah was still not going back, ^[q]he said, “Go on back then to ^(AQ)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has ^(AR)appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ^(AS)ration and a ^(AT)gift, and let him go. ⁶Then Jeremiah went to ^(AU)Mizpah to ^(AV)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

⁷^(AW)Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land, and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and ^[r]children, those of the ^(AX)poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. ⁸So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ^(AY)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, ^(AZ)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the ^(BA)Netophathite, and ^(BB)Jezaniah the son of the ^(BC)Maacathite, both they and their men. ⁹Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ^(BD)swore to them and to their men, saying, “^(BE)Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, so that it may go well for you. ¹⁰Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay in Mizpah to ^(BF)stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, ^(BG)gather wine, ^(BH)summer fruit, and oil, and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” ¹¹Likewise, also all the Jews who were in ^(BI)Moab and among the sons of ^(BJ)Ammon and in ^(BK)Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had ^[s]left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. ¹²Then all the Jews ^(BL)returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

¹³Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, ¹⁴and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of ^(BM)Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. ¹⁵Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “^(BN)Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know! Why should he ^(BO)take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the ^(BP)remnant of Judah would perish?” ¹⁶But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “^(BQ)Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 39:1 Ch 38:28b in Heb
Jeremiah 39:1 Ch 39:1 in Heb
Jeremiah 39:3 I.e., chief official
Jeremiah 39:3 I.e., title of a high official
Jeremiah 39:4 I.e., Jordan valley
Jeremiah 39:5 Lit spoke judgments with
Jeremiah 39:10 Lit on that day
Jeremiah 39:12 Lit set your eyes on
Jeremiah 39:13 I.e., chief official
Jeremiah 39:13 I.e., title of a high official
Jeremiah 39:16 Lit good
Jeremiah 40:4 Lit it is good in your eyes
Jeremiah 40:4 Lit set my eyes on
Jeremiah 40:4 Lit it is evil in your eyes
Jeremiah 40:4 Lit refrain
Jeremiah 40:5 Lit he
Jeremiah 40:5 I.e., Nebuzaradan
Jeremiah 40:7 Lit infants
Jeremiah 40:11 Lit given

Psalm 74

New American Standard Bible

An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.

A ^[a]Maskil of Asaph.

74 God, why have You ^(A)rejected us forever?
Why does Your anger ^(B)smoke against the ^(C)sheep of Your ^[b]pasture?
²Remember Your congregation, which You ^(D)purchased of old,
Which You have ^(E)redeemed to be the ^(F)tribe of Your inheritance;
And this Mount ^(G)Zion, where You have dwelt.
³^[c]Step toward the ^[d]^(H)irreparable ruins;
The enemy ^(I)has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
⁴Your adversaries have ^(J)roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
They have set up their ^(K)own signs as ^(L)signs.
⁵It ^[e]seems like one bringing up
His ^(M)axe into a ^[f]forest of trees.
⁶And now they break down ^[g]all its ^(N)carved work
With axe and hammers.
⁷They have ^[h]^(O)burned Your sanctuary ^[i]to the ground;
They have ^(P)defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
⁸They ^(Q)said in their heart, “Let’s ^[j]completely ^[k]subdue them.”
They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
⁹We do not see our ^(R)signs;
There is ^(S)no longer any prophet,
Nor is there anyone among us who knows ^(T)how long.
¹⁰How long, God, will the enemy ^(U)taunt You?
Shall the enemy ^(V)treat Your name disrespectfully forever?
¹¹Why ^(W)do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Extend it from Your chest and ^(X)destroy them!

¹²Yet God is ^(Y)my King from long ago,
Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.
¹³^[l]You ^(Z)divided the sea by Your strength;
^[m]You ^(AA)broke the heads of the ^(AB)sea monsters ^[n]in the waters.
¹⁴^[o]You crushed the heads of ^[p]^(AC)Leviathan;
You gave him as food for the ^[q]creatures ^(AD)of the wilderness.
¹⁵^[r]You ^(AE)broke open springs and torrents;
^[s]You ^(AF)dried up ever-flowing streams.
¹⁶Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
^[t]You have ^(AG)prepared the ^[u]light and the sun.
¹⁷^[v]You have ^(AH)established all the boundaries of the earth;
^[w]You have ^[x]created ^(AI)summer and winter.

¹⁸Remember this, ^[y]Lord, that the enemy has ^(AJ)taunted You,
And a ^(AK)foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
¹⁹Do not give the soul of Your ^(AL)turtledove to the wild animal;
^(AM)Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
²⁰Consider the ^(AN)covenant;
For the ^(AO)dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
²¹May the ^(AP)oppressed person not return dishonored;
May the ^(AQ)afflicted and the needy praise Your name.

²²Arise, God, and ^(AR)plead Your own cause;
Remember ^[z]how the ^(AS)foolish person taunts You all day long.
²³Do not forget the voice of Your ^(AT)adversaries,
The ^(AU)uproar of those who rise against You, which ascends continually.

Footnotes

Psalm 74 Title Possibly, Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
Psalm 74:1 Or pasturing
Psalm 74:3 Lit Lift Your footsteps
Psalm 74:3 Lit ruins ruined for all time
Psalm 74:5 Lit is known as
Psalm 74:5 Lit thicket
Psalm 74:6 Lit altogether
Psalm 74:7 Lit set on fire
Psalm 74:7 Or To the ground they...
Psalm 74:8 Lit altogether
Psalm 74:8 Or oppress
Psalm 74:13 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:13 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:13 Lit on
Psalm 74:14 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:14 Or sea monster
Psalm 74:14 Lit people
Psalm 74:15 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:15 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:16 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:16 Or luminary
Psalm 74:17 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:17 Or You Yourself
Psalm 74:17 Or formed
Psalm 74:18 Or that the enemy has taunted the Lord
Psalm 74:22 Lit Your reproach from the foolish man

Psalm 79

New American Standard Bible

Grieving over the Destruction of Jerusalem, and Prayer for Help.

A Psalm of Asaph.

79 God, the ^(A)nations have ^[a]invaded ^(B)Your inheritance;
They have defiled Your ^(C)holy temple;
They have ^(D)laid Jerusalem in ruins.
²They have given the ^(E)dead bodies of Your servants to the birds of the sky as food,
The flesh of Your godly ones to the animals of the earth.
³They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem;
And there was ^(F)no one to bury them.
⁴We have become a ^(G)disgrace before our neighbors,
An object of derision and ridicule to those around us.
⁵^(H)How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever?
Will Your ^(I)jealousy ^(J)burn like fire?
⁶^(K)Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which ^(L)do not know You,
And upon the kingdoms which ^(M)do not call upon Your name.
⁷For they have ^(N)devoured Jacob
And ^(O)laid waste his ^[b]settlement.

⁸^(P)Do not ^[c]hold us responsible for ^[d]the guilty deeds of our forefathers;
Let Your compassion come quickly to ^(Q)meet us,
For we have ^(R)become very low.
⁹^(S)Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of ^(T)Your name;
And save us and ^[e]^(U)forgive our sins ^(V)for the sake of Your name.
¹⁰^(W)Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Let ^(X)vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed
Be known among the nations in our sight.
¹¹Let ^(Y)the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your ^[f]power, let ^[g]those who are ^(Z)doomed to die remain.
¹²And return to our neighbors ^(AA)seven times as much ^(AB)into their lap
Their ^(AC)taunts with which they have taunted You, Lord.
¹³So we Your people and the ^(AD)sheep of Your ^[h]pasture
Will ^(AE)give thanks to You forever;
To all generations we will ^(AF)tell of Your praise.