1. In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of BABYLON came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it around it.

2. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

3. On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread 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, which was by the king's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city around it); and the king went by the way of the Arabah.

5. But the Chaldean army pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

6. Then they captured the king, and carried him up to the king of BABYLON to Riblah; and they passed judgment on him.

7. They killed Zedekiah's sons before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah's eyes, bound him in fetters, and carried him to BABYLON.

8. Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of BABYLON, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of BABYLON, came to Jerusalem.

9. He burned The LORD's house, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire.

10. All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

11. Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of BABYLON, and the residue of the multitude.

12. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13. The Chaldeans broke up the pillars of brass that were in The LORD's house and the bases and the bronze sea that were in The LORD's house, and carried the brass pieces to BABYLON.

14. They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.

15. The captain of the guard took away the fire pans, the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.

16. The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for The LORD's house, the brass of all these vessels was not weighed.

17. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a capital of brass was on it. The height of the capital was three cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital around it, all of brass; and the second pillar with its network was like these.

18. The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold;

19. and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain 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.

20. Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of BABYLON to Riblah.

21. The king of BABYLON attacked them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.

22. As for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of BABYLON had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor.

23. Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of BABYLON had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even 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, they and their men.

24. Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said to them, "Don't be afraid because of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of BABYLON, and it will be well with you."

25. But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah, so that he died, with the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah.

26. All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

27. In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evilmerodach king of BABYLON, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

28. and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in BABYLON,

29. and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life;

30. and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him from the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life.

Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, "Put your belt on your waist, take this vial of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.

Therefore the LORD brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and carried him to BABYLON.

17. Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed. He gave them all into his hand.

18. All the vessels of God's house, great and small, and the treasures of The LORD's house, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to BABYLON.

19. They burned God's house, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels.

20. He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to BABYLON, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,

21. to fulfill The LORD's word by Jeremiah's mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

Now at that time the king of BABYLON's army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah's house.

1. In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of BABYLON and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it.

2. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city.

3. All the princes of the king of BABYLON came in, and sat in the middle gate, Nergal Sharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, with all the rest of the princes of the king of BABYLON.

4. When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward the Arabah.

5. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. When they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of BABYLON to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he pronounced judgment on him.

6. Then the king of BABYLON killed Zedekiah's sons in Riblah before his eyes. The king of BABYLON also killed all the nobles of Judah.

7. Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him in fetters, to carry him to BABYLON.

8. The Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

9. Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into BABYLON the residue of the people who remained in the city, the deserters also who fell away to him, and the residue of the people who remained.

10. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

11. Now Nebuchadnezzar king of BABYLON commanded Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard concerning Jeremiah, saying,

12. "Take him, and take care of him. Do him no harm; but do to him even as he tells you."

13. So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, with Nebushazban, Rabsaris, and Nergal Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of BABYLON;

14. they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home. So he lived among the people.

15. Now The LORD's word came to Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying,

16. "Go, and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, 'The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Behold, I will bring my words on this city for evil, and not for good; and they will be accomplished before you in that day.

17. But I will deliver you in that day," says The LORD; "and you will not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid.

18. For I will surely save you, and you won't fall by the sword, but you will escape with your life; because you have put your trust in me," says The LORD.'"