Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

25 ^(A)Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, ^(B)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his military force, against Jerusalem, and he camped against it and ^(C)built a siege wall all around ^[a]it. ² So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³ On the ninth day of the fourth month ^(D)the famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. ^4 (E)Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside ^(F)the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And ^[b]they went by way of the Arabah. ⁵ But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho and all his military force was scattered from him. ⁶ Then ^(G)they seized the king and ^(H)brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^(I)Riblah, and they spoke their judgment on him. ^7 (J)And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; then he ^(K)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

The Walls of Jerusalem Torn Down

39 ^[a]Now when Jerusalem was captured ^[b](A)in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his military force came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; ² in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city was ^(B)breached. ³ Then all the ^(C)officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the ^(D)Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the ^[c]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the ^[d]Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴ Now it happened that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they ^(E)fled and went out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate ^(F)between the two walls; and he went out toward the ^[e]Arabah. ⁵ But the military force of the ^(G)Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the ^[f](H)plains of Jericho; and they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at ^(I)Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he spoke judgment on him. ⁶ Then the ^(J)king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah ^(K)before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the ^(L)nobles of Judah. ⁷ He then ^(M)blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in ^(N)fetters of bronze to bring him to ^(O)Babylon. ⁸ The Chaldeans also ^(P)burned with fire the house of the king and the houses of the people, and they ^(Q)tore down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹ And as for the rest of the people who remained in the city, the ^[g](R)defectors who had gone over to him and ^(S)the rest of the people who remained, ^(T)Nebuzaradan the ^(U)captain of the bodyguard took them away into exile in Babylon.

^4 (A)Now it happened in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his military force, against Jerusalem, and they camped against it and built a ^(B)siege wall all around ^[a]it. ^5 (C)So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ⁶ On the ninth day of the ^(D)fourth month, the ^(E)famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. ⁷ Then the city was ^(F)breached, and all the ^(G)men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were ^[b](H)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. ⁸ But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and ^(I)overtook Zedekiah in the ^[c]plains of Jericho, and all his military force was scattered from him. ⁹ Then they seized the king and ^(J)brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^(K)Riblah in the land of ^(L)Hamath, and he ^[d]spoke his judgment on him. ¹⁰ Then the king of Babylon ^(M)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the ^[e]princes of Judah in Riblah. ¹¹ Then he ^(N)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

Jerusalem Has Been Struck Down

²¹ Now ^(A)it happened in the ^(B)twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, that those who escaped from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “^(C)The city has been struck down.”