⁴³ Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side.

The Fall of Jerusalem

39 In January^[a] of the ninth year of King Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar^[b] of Babylon came with his entire army to besiege Jerusalem. ² Two and a half years later, on July 18^[c] in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, a section of the city wall was broken down. ³ All the officers of the Babylonian army came in and sat in triumph at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer of Samgar, and Nebo-sarsekim,^[d] a chief officer, and Nergal-sharezer, the king’s adviser, and all the other officers of the king of Babylon.

25 So on January 15,^[a] during the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his entire army against Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and built siege ramps against its walls. ² Jerusalem was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.

³ By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign,^[b] the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone. ⁴ Then a section of the city wall was broken down. Since the city was surrounded by the Babylonians,^[c] the soldiers waited for nightfall and escaped^[d] through the gate between the two walls behind the king’s garden. Then they headed toward the Jordan Valley.^[e]

¹⁰ During Jehoiachin’s reign, the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and besieged it. ¹¹ Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city during the siege. ¹² Then King Jehoiachin, along with the queen mother, his advisers, his commanders, and his officials, surrendered to the Babylonians.

In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he took Jehoiachin prisoner.

² Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian,^[a] Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his prophets.