4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenthj day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalemk with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege worksl all around it.m 5 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.n 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.o They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babyloniansa were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,b 8 but the Babylonianc army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 9 and he was captured.p

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblahq in the land of Hamath,r where he pronounced sentence on him. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sonss of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.t

12 On the tenth day of the fifthu month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradanv commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He set firew to the templex of the Lord, the royal palace and all the housesy of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14 The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the wallsz around Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exilea some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmend and those who had desertedb to the king of Babylon. 16 But Nebuzaradan left behindc the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,d the movable standse and the bronze Seaf that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.g 18 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,h dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.i 19 The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,j sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,k dishesl and bowls used for drink offeringsm—all that were made of pure gold or silver.n

20 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bullso under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.p 21 Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumferencee; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.q