3. Terrible things happened to the people of Jerusalem and Judah because the Lord was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4. So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s rule, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. The army of Babylon set up their camp outside of Jerusalem. Then they built ramps all around the city walls so that they could get over the walls.
5. The city of Jerusalem was surrounded by the army of Babylon until the eleventh year that Zedekiah was king.
6. By the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the hunger in the city was very bad. There was no food left for the people in the city to eat.
7. On that day the army of Babylon broke into Jerusalem. The soldiers of Jerusalem ran away. They left the city at night. They went through the gate between the two walls. That gate was near the king’s garden. Even though the army of Babylon had surrounded the city, the soldiers of Jerusalem still ran away toward the desert.
8. But the Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught him on the plains of Jericho. All of Zedekiah’s soldiers ran away.
9. The army of Babylon captured King Zedekiah and took him to the king of Babylon who was at the city of Riblah, in the land of Hamath. At Riblah the king of Babylon announced his judgment on King Zedekiah.
26-27. Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these officials and brought them to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon was at the city of Riblah. Riblah is in the country of Hamath. There at the city of Riblah, the king ordered all of them to be killed. So the people of Judah were taken from their country.
28. This is how many people Nebuchadnezzar carried into captivity: In Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th year as king of Babylon, 3023 people were taken from Judah.
29. In Nebuchadnezzar’s 18th year as king of Babylon, 832 people were taken from Jerusalem.
30. In Nebuchadnezzar’s 23rd year as king, Nebuzaradan took 745 people of Judah into captivity. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards. In all, 4600 people were taken captive.
31. King Jehoiachin of Judah was in prison in Babylon for 37 years. In the 37th year of his imprisonment, King Evil Merodach of Babylon was very kind to Jehoiachin. He let Jehoiachin out of prison in that year. This was the same year that Evil Merodach became king of Babylon. He set Jehoiachin free from prison on the 25th day of the 12th month.
32. Evil Merodach spoke kindly to Jehoiachin. He gave Jehoiachin a place of honor higher than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
33. So Jehoiachin took his prison clothes off. For the rest of his life, he ate regularly at the king’s table.
34. Every day the king of Babylon paid Jehoiachin enough to take care of his needs until the day Jehoiachin died.