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

¹³ The Babylonians broke^(G) up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴ They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes^(H) and all the bronze articles^(I) used in the temple service. ¹⁵ The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.^(J)

¹⁶ The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. ¹⁷ Each pillar^(K) was eighteen cubits^[a] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits^[b] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.

¹⁷ He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,^[a](A) who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men^(B) or young women, the elderly or the infirm.^(C) God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.^{(D) 18} He carried to Babylon all the articles^(E) from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. ¹⁹ They set fire^(F) to God’s temple^(G) and broke down the wall^(H) of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed^(I) everything of value there.^(J)

²⁰ He carried into exile^(K) to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants^(L) to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. ²¹ The land enjoyed its sabbath rests;^(M) all the time of its desolation it rested,^(N) until the seventy years^(O) were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.