12. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king of Babylon’s special guard. He was one of the king’s most important officials while at Jerusalem. He came to Jerusalem on the tenth day of the fifth month, in the 19th year that Nebuchadnezzar was king.
13. Nebuzaradan burned the Lord’S Temple, the king’s palace, and every important building in Jerusalem, as well as all the houses.
14. All the Babylonian soldiers that were with the commander broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
15. Commander Nebuzaradan took the people who were still in Jerusalem and those who had surrendered earlier and made them captives. He took them and the skilled craftsmen who were left in Jerusalem as captives to Babylon.
16. But Nebuzaradan left some of the poorest people behind in the land. He left them to work in the vineyards and the fields.
17. The Babylonian army broke up the bronze columns of the Lord’S Temple. They also broke up the stands and the bronze tank that were in the Lord’S Temple. They carried all that bronze to Babylon.
18. The army of Babylon also took these things from the Temple: pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, large bowls, pans, and all the bronze things that were used in the Temple service.
19. The commander of the king’s special guards took these things away: basins, firepans, large bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and bowls used for drink offerings. He took everything that was made of gold or silver.
20. The two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the moveable stands were very heavy. King Solomon had made those things for the Lord’S Temple. The bronze that those things were made of was so heavy it could not be weighed.
21. Each of the bronze pillars was 31 feet tall. Each pillar was almost 21 feet around. Each pillar was hollow. The wall of each pillar was 3 inches thick.
22. The bronze capital on top of the first pillar was over 5 feet tall. It was decorated with a net design and bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar had pomegranates too. It was like the first pillar.
23. There were 96 pomegranates on the sides of the pillars. All together, there were 100 pomegranates above the net design that went around the pillars.
24. The commander of the king’s special guards took Seraiah the high priest and Zephaniah the next highest priest as prisoners. The three doorkeepers were also taken as prisoners.
25. The commander of the king’s special guards also took the officer in charge of the fighting men. He also took seven of the king’s advisors as prisoners. They were still there in Jerusalem. He also took the scribe who was in charge of putting people in the army. And he took 60 of the ordinary people who were there in the city.
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.