The Fall of Jerusalem

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], sent ·prophets [^Lmessengers] again and again to warn his people, because he had ·pity [compassion] on them and on his ·Temple [dwelling place]. ¹⁶ But they ·made fun of [mocked] God’s ·prophets [^Lmessengers] and hated God’s ·messages [^Lwords]. They ·refused to listen to the [ridiculed/scoffed at his] prophets until, finally, the Lord became so angry with his people that ·he could not be stopped [there was no remedy/^Lhealer]. ¹⁷ So God brought the king of ·Babylon [the Chaldeans] to attack them. The king ·killed [slaughtered; ^Lkilled with the sword] the young men even when they were in the ·Temple [^Lhouse of their sanctuary]. He had no ·mercy [pity; compassion] on the young men or women, the old men or those who were ·sick [infirm]. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁸ Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon all the ·things [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of God, both large and small, and all the treasures from the ·Temple [^Lhouse] of the Lord and from the king and his ·officers [officials]. ¹⁹ Nebuchadnezzar and his army ·set fire to [burned down] God’s ·Temple [^Lhouse] and broke down Jerusalem’s wall and burned all the ·palaces [or fortifications; ^Lhouses]. They destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem.

²⁰ Nebuchadnezzar took ·captive [into exile] to Babylon the people who ·were left alive [^Lescaped the sword], and he forced them to be ·slaves [servants] for him and his descendants. They remained there as ·slaves [servants] until the Persian kingdom ·defeated Babylon [^Lcame/rose to power]. ²¹ And so ·what the Lord had told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah happened [^Lthe word of the Lord through the mouth of Jeremiah was fulfilled; ^Che prophesied the fall of Jerusalem]: The country ·was an empty wasteland [lay desolate/fallow] for seventy years ·to make up for the years of Sabbath rest [Lev. 25:1–7] that the people had not kept [or enjoying its sabbath rest; ^Ca bitter observation that the land experienced an ironic “rest” while the Israelites were in exile; Lev. 25:4, 26:33–35].