Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

In the ninth year of King Zedekiah's reign, in the tenth month on the tenth day, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with his entire army against Jerusalem. He encircled the city and built fortifications around it to prepare for a long siege.

The city was under siege for two years, until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah's reign. As the famine worsened in the city, on the ninth day of the fourth month there was no bread left for the people. The city walls were breached, and all the able-bodied men escaped through a secret gate between two walls near the king's garden, while the Chaldeans surrounded the city from all sides.

The king made his escape towards the plain, but the army of the Chaldeans pursued him and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. They scattered his forces, capturing the king and taking him to Riblah, where judgment was passed on him by King Nebuchadnezzar. The king's sons were slaughtered before his eyes, he was blinded, bound with bronze chains, and taken captive to Babylon.

In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and a servant of the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. He burned down the Temple, the palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

The army of the Chaldeans, with their commander, tore down the walls of Jerusalem on all sides. The remaining people were taken captive by Nebuzaradan, along with those who had deserted to the king of Babylon and others who remained in the city. Some of the poorest people in the land were left behind to tend to the vineyards and fields.

The Chaldeans smashed the bronze pillars, bases, and bronze sea in the Temple, taking all the valuable items back to Babylon. They also took away pots, shovels, snuffers, spoons, and all the other bronze vessels used for worship.

The captain of the guard took the firepans, bowls, and all the gold and silver vessels they had made. Among these were the two pillars, one sea, and the bases that Solomon had created for the Temple. The bronze from these vessels was so valuable that it couldn't be weighed.

Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took Seraiah, the chief priest; Zephaniah, the second priest; and three men who were in charge of the Temple gates. He also captured an officer, five men from the king's staff found in the city, the head administrator of the army, and sixty men from the population.

These captives were taken to Riblah, where King Nebuchadnezzar handed down judgment on them. He had them killed before him, ending their lives in a foreign land. This marked the end of Judah as an independent nation, leaving only remnants behind.

However, King Nebuchadnezzar chose not to eradicate all the people of Judah, and instead left some behind under Gedaliah's rule. When the leaders of the armies heard that Gedaliah was appointed governor by the king of Babylon, they came to him at Mizpah. Among them were Ishmael from the royal family and other prominent men.

Gedaliah reassured them, "Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve King Nebuchadnezzar, and everything will go well for you." However, this promise of peace was short-lived.

In the seventh month, Ishmael from the royal family returned with ten men, assassinated Gedaliah at Mizpah, killing him along with the Jews and Chaldeans who were with him. This act of treachery caused panic among the people, both great and small, as well as among the leaders.

The entire population, including their leaders, fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans. Meanwhile, King Evilmerodach of Babylon lifted Jehoiachin out of prison in his thirty-seventh year of captivity. He treated him kindly and seated him above the other kings in his presence.

King Evilmerodach also released Jehoiachin from prison and spoke kindly to him. He set Jehoiachin's throne above those of the other kings with him in Babylon, changing his prison garments for fine clothes. The king provided a regular gift of food for Jehoiachin every day for all the days of his life.

This generosity marked a new era of mercy towards the exiled king, one that would continue throughout his life.