Jeremiah 39:1–9

In the ninth year of Zedekiah^w king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar^x king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege^y to it. ²And on the ninth day of the fourth^z month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall^a was broken through.^{b 3}Then all the officials^c of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,^d and headed toward the Arabah.^ae

⁵But the Babylonian^b army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah^f in the plains of Jericho. They captured^g him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah^h in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. ⁶There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the noblesⁱ of Judah. ⁷Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes^j and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^k

⁸The Babylonians^c set fire^l to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls^m of Jerusalem. ⁹Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,ⁿ and the rest of the people.^o