The Fall of Jerusalem

Free Bible Version (FBV)

2Ki 25:1–21

1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. He set up camp around the city and built siege ramps against the walls.
2 The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat.
4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the soldiers escaped at night through the gate between the two walls by the king's garden, even though the Babylonians had the city surrounded. They ran away in the direction of the Arabah,
5 but the Babylonian army chased after the king and caught up with him on the plains of Jericho. His whole army had scattered and left him.
6 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he was sentenced.
7 They slaughtered Zedekiah's sons while he watched, and then gouged out his eyes, bound him in bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, an officer of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
9 He burned down the Lord's Temple, the royal palace, and all the large buildings of Jerusalem.
10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the guard knocked down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, deported those who were left in the city, even those who had gone over to the side of the king of Babylon, as well as the rest of the population.
12 But the commander of the guard allowed the poor people who were left in the country to stay and take care of the vineyards and the fields.
13 The Babylonians broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the movable carts, and the bronze Sea that belonged to the Lord's Temple, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
14 They also took all the pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, dishes, and all the other bronze items used in the Temple service.
15 The commander of the guard removed the censers and bowls, anything that was made of pure gold or silver.
16 The amount of bronze that came from the two columns, the Sea and the movable carts, which Solomon had made for the Lord's Temple, all of this weighed more than could be measured.
17 Each column was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital on top of one column was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates around it. The second column was the same, and also had a decorative network.
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest, second in rank, and the three Temple doorkeepers.
19 From those left in the city he took the officer in charge of the soldiers, and five of the king's advisors. He also took the secretary to the army commander who was in charge of calling up the people for military service, and sixty other men who were present in the city.
20 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took them and brought them before the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 The king of Babylon had them executed at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah had to leave their land.

2Ch 36:17–21

17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylon to attack them. His army killed by the sword their best young men even in the sanctuary. The Babylonians did not spare young men or young women, the sick or the elderly. God handed them all over to Nebuchadnezzar.
18 He took back to Babylon all the articles, large and small, from God's Temple, and from the Temple treasury, and from the king and from his officials.
19 Then the Babylonians burned down God's Temple and demolished Jerusalem's walls. They set fire to all the palaces and destroyed everything that had any value.
20 Nebuchadnezzar took into exile in Babylon those who had not been killed. They were slaves for himself and his sons, until the kingdom of Persia took over.
21 So to fulfill the Lord's prophecy given through Jeremiah, the land enjoyed its Sabbaths as rest all the time it was left desolate, keeping the Sabbath until seventy years were completed.

Jer 52:4–27

4 In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. He set up camp around the city and built siege ramps against the walls.
5 The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat.
7 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the soldiers ran away, escaping at night through the gate between the two walls by the king's garden, even though the Babylonians had the city surrounded. They went in the direction of the Arabah,
8 but the Babylonian army chased after the king and caught up with him on the plains of Jericho. His whole army had scattered and left him.
9 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he sentenced him.
10 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons while he watched, and also killed the officials of Judah there at Riblah.
11 Then he gouged out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in bronze shackles. The king of Babylon took him to Babylon and imprisoned him there until the day he died.
12 On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, an officer of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
13 He burned down the Lord's Temple, the royal palace, and all the large buildings of Jerusalem.
14 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the guard knocked down all the walls around Jerusalem.
15 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, deported some of the poor people and those who were left in the city, even those who had gone over to the side of the king of Babylon, as well as the rest of the craftsmen.
16 But Nebuzaradan allowed others of the poor people who were left in the country to stay and take care of the vineyards and the fields.
17 The Babylonians broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the movable carts, and the bronze Sea that belonged to the Lord's Temple, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
18 They also took all the pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, sprinkling bowls, and all the other bronze items used in the Temple service.
19 The commander of the guard removed the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls, anything that was made of pure gold or silver.
20 The amount of bronze that came from the two columns, the Sea, the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable carts, which Solomon had made for the Lord's Temple, all of this weighed more than could be measured.
21 Each column was eighteen cubits tall and twelve cubits around. They were hollow with walls four fingers thick.
22 The bronze capital on top of one column was five cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates around it. The second column was the same, and also had a decorative network.
23 There were ninety-six bronze pomegranates around each column. Above the network were a total of one hundred pomegranates.
24 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest, second in rank, and the three Temple doorkeepers.
25 From those left in the city he took the officer in charge of the soldiers, and seven of the king's advisors. He also took the secretary to the army commander who was in charge of calling up the people for military service, and sixty other men who were present in the city.
26 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took them and brought them before the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27 The king of Babylon had them executed at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah had to leave their land.