And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the
tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with
all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built
siegeworks all around it. So the city was besieged till the
eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth
month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food
for the people of the land. 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 the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the
city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of
the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of
Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they
captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at
Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons
of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and
bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

  In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the
nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the
king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. And he burned the house of the
LORD and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every
great house he burned down. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who
were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around
Jerusalem. And the rest of the people who were left in the city and
the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together
with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the
guard carried into exile. But the captain of the guard left some of
the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

  And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and
the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD,
the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon.
And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and
the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the
temple service, the fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold
the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver,
as silver. As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that
Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these
vessels was beyond weight. The height of the one pillar was
eighteen cubits, and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of
the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all
of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had
the same, with the latticework.

  And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and
Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold;
and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the
men of war, and five men of the king's council who were found in
the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who
mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the
land, who were found in the city. And Nebuzaradan the captain of
the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at
Riblah. And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to
death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into
exile out of its land.

  And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the
son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. Now when all the captains
and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah
governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely,
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and
Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the
son of the Maacathite. And Gedaliah swore to them and their men,
saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live
in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well
with you.” But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,
son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck
down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the
Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. Then all the people, both
small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to
Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

  And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of
Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the
month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to
reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. And
he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the
kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his
prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at
the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was
given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he
lived.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.