The Holy Bible

Jeremiah 39 records the fall of Jerusalem, as Nebuchadnezzar's army besieges the city in Zedekiah's ninth year and breaches it in the eleventh, after which Zedekiah and his men of war flee by night toward the Jordan but are captured in the plains of Jericho. The king of Babylon slays Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, puts out his eyes, and carries him in chains to Babylon, while Nebuzaradan burns the temple, palace, and houses, breaks the walls, and carries the people into exile, leaving only the poorest to tend the vineyards. The chapter closes with Nebuchadnezzar ordering that Jeremiah be released from the prison court and committed to Gedaliah, and the Lord's promise to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian that he will be delivered and not fall by the sword because he trusted in the Lord.