So in the ninthj year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzark king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege worksl all around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

3 By the ninth day of the fourtha month the faminem in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken through,n and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babyloniansb were surroundingo the city. They fled toward the Arabah,c 5 but the Babyloniand army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,p 6 and he was captured.q

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,r where sentence was pronounced on him. 7 They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.s

8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set firet to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.u 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the wallsv around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exilew the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.x 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest peopley of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13 The Babylonians brokez up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishesa and all the bronze articlesb used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.c

16 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. 17 Each pillard was eighteen cubitse high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubitsf high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.

18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiahe the chief priest, Zephaniahf the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.g 19 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah,h in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.i

So Judah went into captivity,j away from her land.k