¹⁰ At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar^(A) king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, ¹¹ and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. ¹² Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered^(B) to him.

In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. ¹³ As the Lord had declared,^(C) Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures^(D) from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles^(E) that Solomon^(F) king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. ¹⁴ He carried all Jerusalem into exile:^(G) all the officers and fighting men,^(H) and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest^(I) people of the land were left.

¹⁵ Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin^(J) captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother,^(K) his wives, his officials and the prominent people^(L) of the land. ¹⁶ The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans.^{(M) 17} He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.^(N)

Zedekiah King of Judah^(O)

¹⁸ Zedekiah^(P) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal^(Q) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. ¹⁹ He did evil^(R) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust^(S) them from his presence.^(T)

The Fall of Jerusalem^(U)(V)(W)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 So in the ninth^(X) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar^(Y) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works^(Z) all around it. ² The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

³ By the ninth day of the fourth^[a] month the famine^(AA) 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,^(AB) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^[b] were surrounding^(AC) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^{[c] 5} but the Babylonian^[d] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,^{(AD) 6} and he was captured.^(AE)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,^(AF) 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.^(AG)

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 fire^(AH) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.^{(AI) 10} The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls^(AJ) around Jerusalem. ¹¹ Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile^(AK) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.^{(AL) 12} But the commander left behind some of the poorest people^(AM) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

Saul’s Conversion^(A)

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.^(B) He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus,^(C) so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way,^(D) whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.^{(E) 4} He fell to the ground and heard a voice^(F) say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”^(G)

⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound^(H) but did not see anyone.^{(I) 8} Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.^(J) So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.