Jerusalem Burned and Plundered

8 aNow on the seventh day of the bfifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

9 aHe burned the house of the Lord, bthe king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire.

10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard abroke down the walls around Jerusalem.

11 Then athe rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the people, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile.

12 But the captain of the guard left some of athe poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

13 aNow the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and bthe bronze sea which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the 1bronze to Babylon.

14 aThey took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service.

15 The captain of the guard also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver.

16 The two pillars, the one sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—athe bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.

17 aThe height of the one pillar was eighteen 1cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was three 1cubits, with a network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these with network.

18 Then the captain of the guard took aSeraiah the chief priest and bZephaniah the second priest, with the three 1officers of the temple.

19 From the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and afive 1of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the 2scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.

20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at aRiblah.

21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. aSo Judah was led away into exile from its land.