سقوط أُورُشليم
(ار 52:4-16؛ 2مل 25:4-12)1 في الشَّهرِ العاشِرِ من السَّنةِ التَّاسِعةِ لِصدْقيَّا مَلِكِ يَهوذا جاءَ نبوخذنَصَّرُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ وجميعُ جيشِهِ إلى أُورُشليمَ وحاصَرَها. 2 وفي الشَّهرِ الرَّابِـعِ مِنَ السَّنةِ الحاديَةَ عَشْرَةَ لِصِدْقيَّا، اختَرَقَ العدُوُّ أسوارَ المدينةِ. 3 ودخَلَ كُلُّ رُؤساءِ مَلِكِ بابِلَ وجَلَسوا بِالبابِ الأوسَطِ، وهُم: نَرجَلُ شراصَرُ رئيسُ المَجوسِ، وسَمْجَرُ نَبو وسرسَخيمُ رئيسُ الخِصيانِ وسواهُم. 4 فلمَّا رآهُم صِدْقيَّا مَلِكُ يَهوذا وجميعُ جُنودِهِ هَرَبوا وخرَجوا مِنَ المدينةِ لَيلا مِنْ طريقِ بستانِ المَلِكِ مِنَ البابِ الّذي بَينَ السُّورَينِ، وذَهَبوا في طريقِ غَورِ الأردُنِّ. 5 فلَحِقَ بِهِم جيشُ البابِليِّينَ في سَهلِ أريحا، فقَبَضوا على صِدْقيَّا وأخَذوهُ إلى نبوخذنَصَّرَ مَلِكِ بابِلَ في رَبلَةَ بِأرضِ حَماةَ، فحكَمَ علَيهِ. 6 وذبَحَ مَلِكُ بابِلَ بَني صِدْقيَّا في رَبلَةَ أمامَ عَينَيهِ، كما ذبَحَ جميعَ أشرافِ يَهوذا. 7 وفقَأَ عَينَي صِدْقيَّا وقَيَّدَهُ بِسِلسِلَتينِ مِنْ نُحاسٍ لِـيَجيءَ بهِ إلى بابِلَ. 8 وأحرَقَ البابِليُّونَ قصرَ المَلِكِ وبُيوتَ الشَّعبِ بِالنَّارِ وهَدَموا أسوارَ أُورُشليمَ. 9 وسَبـى نَبُوزَرادانُ، رئيسُ الشُّرطَةِ إلى بابِلَ بَقيَّةَ الّذينَ اعتَصَموا في المدينةِ، والهارِبـينَ الّذينَ لَجأُوا إليهِ، وسائِرَ الصُنَّاع. 10 أمَّا الفُقراءُ مِنَ الشَّعبِ الّذينَ لا يَملِكونَ شيئا، فتَركَهُم نَبوزَرادانُ في أرضِ يَهوذا وأعطاهُم كُروما وحُقولا في ذلِكَ الوقتِ.
إرميا يخرج من السجن
11 قالَ نبوخذنَصَّرُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ لِنَبوزَرادانَ، رئيسِ الشُّرطَةِ في شأنِ إرميا: 12 «خُذْهُ وأكرِمْهُ ولا تُسِـئْ إليهِ في شيءٍ، بل اعمَلْ لَه كما يقولُ لكَ». 13 فأرسَلَ نَبوزَرادانُ رئيسُ الشُّرطَةِ، ونَبوشَزبانُ رئيسُ الخِصيانِ، ونَرجَلُ شَراصَرُ رئيسُ المَجوسِ، وجميعُ رِجالِ مَلِكِ بابِلَ، 14 أرسَلوا وأخَذوا إرميا مِنَ السِّجنِ ليُسلِموهُ إلى جَدَليا بنِ أحيقامَ بنِ شافانَ، فيَجِـيءَ بهِ إلى بَيتِهِ، ليُقيمَ بَينَ الشَّعبِ.
وعد الرب لعبد ملك
15 وقالَ الرّبُّ لإرميا عِندَما كانَ مَحبوسا في السِّجنِ: 16 «إِذهَبْ وقُل لِعَبدَ مَلِكَ الكُوشيِّ: يقولُ الرّبُّ القديرُ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: سَأُتِمُّ كَلامي على هذِهِ المدينةِ لِلشَّرِّ لا لِلخَيرِ، ويكونُ ذلِكَ أمامَكَ يومَ يَتِمُّ. 17 لَكنِّي أُنقِذُكَ في ذلِكَ اليومِ، فلا تَقَعُ في أيدي الّذينَ تخافُ مِنهُم. 18 وأُنَجِّيكَ فلا تَسقُطُ بِالسَّيفِ، بل تَنجو بِـحياتِكَ لأنَّكَ تَوَكَّلْتَ عليَّ، يقولُ الرّبُّ».
The Fall of Jerusalem
1 In the tenth month of the ninth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came with his whole army and attacked Jerusalem. 2 On the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year as king, the city walls were broken through.
( 3 When Jerusalem was captured, all the high officials of the king of Babylonia came and took their places at the Middle Gate, including Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Sarsechim, and another Nergal Sharezer. )
4 When King Zedekiah and all his soldiers saw what was happening, they tried to escape from the city during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and escaped in the direction of the Jordan Valley. 5 But the Babylonian army pursued them and captured Zedekiah in the plains near Jericho. Then they took him to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah in the territory of Hamath, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him. 6 At Riblah he put Zedekiah's sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on, and he also had the officials of Judah executed. 7 After that, he had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him placed in chains to be taken to Babylonia. 8 Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned down the royal palace and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Finally Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, together with those who had deserted to him. 10 He left in the land of Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and he gave them vineyards and fields.
Jeremiah's Release
11 But King Nebuchadnezzar commanded Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, to give the following order: 12 “Go and find Jeremiah and take good care of him. Do not harm him, but do for him whatever he wants.” 13 So Nebuzaradan, together with the high officials Nebushazban and Nergal Sharezer and all the other officers of the king of Babylonia, 14 had me brought from the palace courtyard. They put me under the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, who was to see that I got home safely. And so I stayed there among the people.
Hope for Ebedmelech
15 While I was still imprisoned in the palace courtyard, the Lord told me 16 to tell Ebedmelech the Ethiopian that the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, had said, “Just as I said I would, I am going to bring upon this city destruction and not prosperity. And when this happens, you will be there to see it. 17 But I, the Lord, will protect you, and you will not be handed over to the people you are afraid of. 18 I will keep you safe, and you will not be put to death. You will escape with your life because you have put your trust in me. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
