8. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards. This officer of the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. This was on the seventh day of the fifth month. This was in Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year as king of Babylon.
9. Nebuzaradan set fire to the Temple of the Lord and the palace. He also set fire to all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building was burned.
10. The whole Babylonian army broke down the walls around Jerusalem. That army was led by the commander of the king’s special guards.
11. Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took captive the people left in Jerusalem. And he took captive those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon. The rest of the people were also taken away.
12. But the commander left behind some of the poorest people of the land. They were to take care of the vineyards and fields.
13. The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the bronze stands and the large bronze bowl, which was called the Sea. These were in the Temple of the Lord. Then they carried the bronze to Babylon.
14. They also took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze objects. These were used to serve in the Temple.
15. The commander of the king’s special guards took away the pans for carrying hot coals. He also took the bowls and everything made of pure gold or silver.
16. There was so much bronze that it could not be weighed. There were two pillars and the large bronze bowl. There were also the movable stands which Solomon had made for the Temple of the Lord.
17. Each pillar was about 27 feet high. The bronze capital on top of the pillar was about 4½ feet high. It was decorated with a net design and bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar also had a net design. It was like the first pillar.
18. The commander of the guards took some prisoners. He took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19. The commander also took other people who were still in the city. He took the officer in charge of the fighting men. He also took five people who advised the king. And he took the royal assistant who selected people for the army. And he took 60 other men who were in the city.
20. Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these people. And he brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.