Then the city wall was broken through,(A) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[a] were surrounding(B) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[b] but the Babylonian[c] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,(C) and he was captured.(D)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(E) where sentence was pronounced on him. 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.(F)

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. He set fire(G) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.(H) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls(I) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(J) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.(K) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people(L) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
  2. 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  3. 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24

21 There at Riblah,(A) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(B)

So Judah went into captivity,(C) away from her land.(D)

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