diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/ExitableInterpreterEngine.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/ExitableInterpreterEngine.java
index cb6138044018..6ffa7e8824b1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/ExitableInterpreterEngine.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/ExitableInterpreterEngine.java
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public ExitableReturn interpret(ThreadContext context, Block block, IRubyObject
         StaticScope currScope = interpreterContext.getStaticScope();
         DynamicScope currDynScope = context.getCurrentScope();
 
-        int[] rescuePCs = interpreterContext.getRescueIPCs();
+        InterpreterContext.RescueTable rescuePCs = interpreterContext.getRescueIPCs();
 
         // Init profiling this scope
         boolean debug   = IRRuntimeHelpers.isDebug();
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ public ExitableReturn interpret(ThreadContext context, Block block, IRubyObject
 
             Operation operation = instr.getOperation();
             if (debug) {
-                Interpreter.LOG.info("I: " + ipc + ", R: "  + rescuePCs[ipc] + " - " + instr + ">");
+                Interpreter.LOG.info("I: " + ipc + ", R: "  + rescuePCs.get(ipc) + " - " + instr + ">");
                 Interpreter.interpInstrsCount++;
             } else if (profile) {
                 Profiler.instrTick(operation);
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ public ExitableReturn interpret(ThreadContext context, Block block, IRubyObject
             } catch (Throwable t) {
                 if (debug) extractToMethodToAvoidC2Crash(instr, t);
 
-                ipc = rescuePCs == null ? -1 : rescuePCs[ipc];
+                ipc = rescuePCs == null ? -1 : rescuePCs.get(ipc);
 
                 if (debug) {
                     Interpreter.LOG.info("in : " + interpreterContext.getScope() + ", caught Java throwable: " + t + "; excepting instr: " + instr);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/FullInterpreterContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/FullInterpreterContext.java
index bbc2e9998c73..febfef6e0be5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/FullInterpreterContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/FullInterpreterContext.java
@@ -154,7 +154,9 @@ public void generateInstructionsForInterpretation() {
             }
         }
 
-        this.rescueIPCs = rescueIPCs;
+        checkRescueIPCs(rescueIPCs);
+
+        this.rescueIPCs = new RescueTable(rescueIPCs);
         this.instructions = linearizedInstrArray;
 
         // System.out.println("SCOPE: " + getScope().getId());
@@ -222,9 +224,9 @@ public FullInterpreterContext duplicate() {
 
 
     public int determineRPC(int ipc) {
-        int length = rescueIPCs.length;
+        int length = rescueIPCs.size();
         for (int i = 0; i + 1 < length; i += 2) {
-            if (ipc <= rescueIPCs[i]) return rescueIPCs[i + 1];
+            if (ipc <= rescueIPCs.get(i)) return rescueIPCs.get(i + 1);
         }
 
         throw new RuntimeException("BUG: no RPC found for " + getFileName() + ":" + getName() + ":" + ipc);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/InterpreterContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/InterpreterContext.java
index 2ec9b3b6d638..56528de76b96 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/InterpreterContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/InterpreterContext.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public class InterpreterContext {
     // Contains pairs of values.  The first value is number of instrs in this range + number of instrs before
     // this range.  The second number is the rescuePC.  getRescuePC(ipc) will walk this list and first odd value
     // less than this value will be the rpc.
-    protected volatile int[] rescueIPCs = null;
+    protected volatile RescueTable rescueIPCs = null;
 
     // Cached computed fields
     protected boolean hasExplicitCallProtocol; // Only can be true in Full+
@@ -125,12 +125,34 @@ private Instr[] prepareBuildInstructions(List<Instr> instructions) {
             rescueIPCs[ipc] = rpc;
         }
 
-        this.rescueIPCs = rescueIPCs;
+        checkRescueIPCs(rescueIPCs);
+
+        this.rescueIPCs = new RescueTable(rescueIPCs);
 
         return linearizedInstrArray;
     }
 
-    public int[] getRescueIPCs() {
+    public static class RescueTable {
+        final int[] table;
+        public RescueTable(int[] table) {
+            this.table = table;
+        }
+        public int get(int i) {
+            return table[i];
+        }
+
+        public int size() {
+            return table.length;
+        }
+    }
+
+    static void checkRescueIPCs(int[] rescueIPCs) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < rescueIPCs.length; i++) {
+            if (rescueIPCs[i] == 0) throw new RuntimeException("BUG: there should never be zero IPCs in the rescue table");
+        }
+    }
+
+    public RescueTable getRescueIPCs() {
         return rescueIPCs;
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/StartupInterpreterEngine.java b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/StartupInterpreterEngine.java
index 04c8384dbbf8..3473fcd7b57d 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/StartupInterpreterEngine.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/jruby/ir/interpreter/StartupInterpreterEngine.java
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ public IRubyObject interpret(ThreadContext context, Block block, IRubyObject sel
         StaticScope currScope = interpreterContext.getStaticScope();
         DynamicScope currDynScope = context.getCurrentScope();
 
-        int[] rescuePCs = interpreterContext.getRescueIPCs();
+        InterpreterContext.RescueTable rescuePCs = interpreterContext.getRescueIPCs();
 
         // Init profiling this scope
         boolean debug   = IRRuntimeHelpers.isDebug();
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public IRubyObject interpret(ThreadContext context, Block block, IRubyObject sel
 
             Operation operation = instr.getOperation();
             if (debug) {
-                Interpreter.LOG.info("I: " + ipc + ", R: "  + rescuePCs[ipc] + " - " + instr + ">");
+                Interpreter.LOG.info("I: " + ipc + ", R: "  + rescuePCs.get(ipc) + " - " + instr + ">");
                 Interpreter.interpInstrsCount++;
             } else if (profile) {
                 Profiler.instrTick(operation);
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public IRubyObject interpret(ThreadContext context, Block block, IRubyObject sel
             } catch (Throwable t) {
                 if (debug) extractToMethodToAvoidC2Crash(instr, t);
 
-                ipc = rescuePCs == null ? -1 : rescuePCs[ipc];
+                ipc = rescuePCs == null ? -1 : rescuePCs.get(ipc);
 
                 if (debug) {
                     Interpreter.LOG.info("in : " + interpreterContext.getScope() + ", caught Java throwable: " + t + "; excepting instr: " + instr);