¹⁹ For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,^(A) the movable stands and the other articles^(B) that are left in this city, ²⁰ which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried^(C) Jehoiachin^[a](D) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— ²¹ yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: ²² ‘They will be taken^(E) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day^(F) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring^(G) them back and restore them to this place.’”

¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise^(A) I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail^(I) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, ¹⁸ nor will the Levitical^(J) priests^(K) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.^(L)’”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day^(M) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,^{(N) 21} then my covenant^(O) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites^(P) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.^{(Q) 22} I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless^(R) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

²³ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms^[b](S) he chose’? So they despise^(T) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.^{(U) 25} This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(V) and established the laws^(W) of heaven and earth,^{(X) 26} then I will reject^(Y) the descendants of Jacob^(Z) and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes^[c](AA) and have compassion^(AB) on them.’”

⁴ When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,^(A) and headed toward the Arabah.^[a](B)

⁵ But the Babylonian^[b] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah^(C) in the plains of Jericho. They captured^(D) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah^(E) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. ⁶ There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles^(F) of Judah. ⁷ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes^(G) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^(H)

⁸ The Babylonians^[c] set fire^(I) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls^(J) of Jerusalem. ⁹ Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,^(K) and the rest of the people.^{(L) 10} But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

¹¹ Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: ¹² “Take him and look after him; don’t harm^(M) him but do for him whatever he asks.” ¹³ So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers^(N) of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.^(O) They turned him over to Gedaliah^(P) son of Ahikam,^(Q) the son of Shaphan,^(R) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.^(S)