At the time that Ebed-melech’s fine qualities became especially manifest the city of Jerusalem was being besieged by the Chaldeans. Jehovah’s prophet Jeremiah had repeatedly declared that the city was doomed and had encouraged the people to save themselves by surrendering themselves to the besiegers. His message from the Most High was: “The one continuing to dwell in this city is the one that will die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence. But the one going out to the Chaldeans is the one that will keep living and that will certainly come to have his soul as a spoil and alive.”

Jer. 38:1-3.