Jeremiah 39:1–9

The Fall of Jerusalem

³⁹This is how Jerusalem was captured:^b in the ninth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it;^{* 2}in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city.^{* 3}Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, with all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.^{* 4}When King Zedekiah of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the King’s Garden through the gate between the two walls, and they went toward the Arabah.^{* 5}But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and when they had taken him, they brought him up to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.^{* 6}The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes; also the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah.^{* 7}He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in fetters to take him to Babylon.^{* 8}The Chaldeans burned with fire the king’s house and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.^{* 9}Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard exiled to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the people who remained.^*