Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia. He marched out against Jerusalem. All of his armies went with him. It was in the ninth year of the rule of Zedekiah. It was on the tenth day of the tenth month. Nebuchadnezzar set up camp outside the city. He brought in war machines all around it. ²It was surrounded until the 11th year of King Zedekiah’s rule.

³By the ninth day of the fourth month, there wasn’t any food left in the city. So the people didn’t have anything to eat.

⁴Then the Babylonians broke through the city wall. Judah’s whole army ran away at night. They went out through the gate between the two walls that were near the king’s garden. They escaped even though the Babylonians surrounded the city. Judah’s army ran toward the Arabah Valley.

⁵But the armies of Babylonia chased King Zedekiah. They caught up with him in the flatlands near Jericho. All of his soldiers were separated from him. They had scattered in every direction.

⁶The king was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylonia at Riblah. That’s where Nebuchadnezzar decided how he would be punished. ⁷His men killed the sons of Zedekiah. They forced him to watch it with his own eyes. Then they poked out his eyes. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon.

⁸Nebuzaradan was an official of the king of Babylonia. In fact, he was commander of the royal guard. He came to Jerusalem. It was in the 19th year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia. It was on the seventh day of the fifth month.

⁹Nebuzaradan set the Lord’s temple on fire. He also set fire to the royal palace and all of the houses in Jerusalem. He burned down every important building. ¹⁰The armies of Babylonia broke down the walls around Jerusalem. That’s what the commander told them to do.

¹¹Some people still remained in the city. But the commander Nebuzaradan took them away as prisoners. He also took the rest of the people of the land. That included those who had joined the king of Babylonia.

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