⁴When 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. ⁵But 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. ⁶At Riblah he put Zedekiah’s sons to death while Zedekiah was looking on, and he also executed the officials of Judah. ⁷After that, he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him placed in chains to be taken to Babylonia. ⁸Meanwhile, the Babylonians burnt down the royal palace and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Finally 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. ¹⁰He 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

¹¹But 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.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan, together with the high officials Nebushazban and Nergal Sarezer and all the other officers of the king of Babylonia,

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