⁶ and he was captured.^(A)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,^(B) 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.^(C)

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

¹³ The Babylonians broke^(J) 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^(K) and all the bronze articles^(L) 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.^(M)

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^(N) 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.

¹⁸ The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah^(O) the chief priest, Zephaniah^(P) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.^{(Q) 19} Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. ²⁰ Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²¹ There at Riblah,^(R) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.^(S)

So Judah went into captivity,^(T) away from her land.^(U)

²² Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah^(V) son of Ahikam,^(W) the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. ²³ When all the army officers and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men. ²⁴ Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”

²⁵ In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated^(X) Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.^{(Y) 26} At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt^(Z) for fear of the Babylonians.

Jehoiachin Released^(AA)

²⁷ In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin^(AB) king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. ²⁸ He spoke kindly^(AC) to him and gave him a seat of honor^(AD) higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.^{(AE) 30} Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.^(AF)

⁵ But the Babylonian^[a] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah^(A) in the plains of Jericho. They captured^(B) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah^(C) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. ⁶ There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles^(D) of Judah. ⁷ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes^(E) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^(F)

⁸ The Babylonians^[b] set fire^(G) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls^(H) of Jerusalem. ⁹ Nebuzaradan 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,^(I) and the rest of the people.^{(J) 10} But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

¹¹ Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: ¹² “Take him and look after him; don’t harm^(K) him but do for him whatever he asks.” ¹³ So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers^(L) of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.^(M) They turned him over to Gedaliah^(N) son of Ahikam,^(O) the son of Shaphan,^(P) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.^(Q)

¹⁵ While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-Melek^(R) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words^(S) against this city—words concerning disaster,^(T) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. ¹⁷ But I will rescue^(U) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. ¹⁸ I will save^(V) you; you will not fall by the sword^(W) but will escape with your life,^(X) because you trust^(Y) in me, declares the Lord.’”