Fall and Captivity of Judah

25 ^(A)And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, ^(B)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ^(C)And they built siegeworks all around it. ² So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³ On the ninth day of the fourth month ^(D)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. ⁴ Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by ^(E)the king's garden, and ^(F)the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the ^(G)Arabah.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰ “But ^(A)when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that ^(B)its desolation has come near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²² for these are ^(C)days of ^(D)vengeance, to fulfill ^(E)all that is written. ^23 (F)Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and ^(G)wrath against this people. ²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword and ^(H)be led captive among all nations, and ^(I)Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, ^(J)until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

⁴³ For ^(A)the days will come upon you, when your enemies ^(B)will set up a barricade around you and ^(C)surround you and hem you in on every side ^44 (D)and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And ^(E)they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know ^(F)the time of your ^(G)visitation.”

⁷ To you, ^(A)O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, ^(B)those who are near and ^(C)those who are far away, in ^(D)all the lands to which you have driven them, because of ^(E)the treachery that they have committed against you. ⁸ To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because ^(F)we have sinned against you. ^9 (G)To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him ^10 (H)and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by ^(I)his servants the prophets. ^11 (J)All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, ^(K)refusing to obey your voice. ^(L)And the curse and oath ^(M)that are written in the Law of ^(N)Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because ^(O)we have sinned against him. ¹² He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against ^(P)our rulers who ruled us,^[a] by ^(Q)bringing upon us a great calamity. ^(R)For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. ^13 (S)As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, ^(T)turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. ^14 (U)Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, ^(V)for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and ^(W)we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt ^(X)with a mighty hand, and ^(Y)have made a name for yourself, as at this day, ^(Z)we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

¹⁶ “O Lord, ^(AA)according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, ^(AB)your holy hill, ^(AC)because for our sins, and for ^(AD)the iniquities of our fathers, ^(AE)Jerusalem and your people have become ^(AF)a byword among all who are around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,^{[b] (AG)}make your face to shine upon ^(AH)your sanctuary, which is desolate. ^18 (AI)O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see ^(AJ)our desolations, and ^(AK)the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. ^(AL)Delay not, ^(AM)for your own sake, O my God, because ^(AN)your city and ^(AO)your people are called by your name.”

³ And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to ^(A)nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. ^(B)They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. ⁴ The descendants also are ^(C)impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ ⁵ And ^(D)whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are ^(E)a rebellious house) ^(F)they will know that a prophet has been among them. ⁶ And you, son of man, ^(G)be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, ^(H)though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on ^(I)scorpions.^[a] Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷ And you shall speak my words to them, ^(J)whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.