³ But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^(A) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^[a] who are outside the wall besieging^(B) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵ I myself will fight^(C) against you with an outstretched hand^(D) and a mighty arm^(E) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶ I will strike^(F) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^{(G) 7} After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(H) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(I) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(J) and to their enemies^(K) who want to kill them.^(L) He will put them to the sword;^(M) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(N)

² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah^(A) king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.^{(B) 3} You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.^(C) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

⁴ “‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;^{(D) 5} you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire^(E) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,^(F) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent^(A) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked^(B) him privately,^(C) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered^(D) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

⁷ Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.^(A) They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^[a] were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^{[b] 8} but the Babylonian^[c] army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, ⁹ and he was captured.^(B)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah^(C) in the land of Hamath,^(D) where he pronounced sentence on him. ¹⁰ There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons^(E) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. ¹¹ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.^(F)

¹² On the tenth day of the fifth^(G) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan^(H) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ¹³ He set fire^(I) to the temple^(J) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses^(K) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ¹⁴ The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls^(L) around Jerusalem.