The Fall of Jerusalem
1 kIn the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the ltenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the meleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and nsat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the otwo walls; and they went toward the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and povertook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 He qput out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 8 The Chaldeans rburned the king’s house and the house of the people, and sbroke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. 10 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, tleft in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
The Lord Delivers Jeremiah
11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son of uAhikam, son of Shaphan, vthat he should take him home. So he lived among the people.
15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the wcourt of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to xEbed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city yfor harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given zinto the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall ahave your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
1 Since we have these promises, beloved, qlet us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body1 and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the rfear of God.
Paul’s Joy
2 sMake room in your hearts2 for us. tWe have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for uI said before that you are vin our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great wboldness toward you; I have great xpride in you; yI am filled with comfort. In zall our affliction, I am aoverflowing with joy.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had bno rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who ccomforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of dTitus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For eeven if I made you grieve with fmy letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are gcomforted.
And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as heverything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the iobedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because jI have complete confidence in you.
