Babylonian forces surround Jerusalem. An earlier capture has already removed King Jehoiachin, officials, warriors, craftsmen, and temple treasures to Babylon.

Zedekiah rules as Babylon’s appointed king but eventually rebels. Nebuchadnezzar responds with another siege.

Famine becomes severe inside Jerusalem. Eventually the city wall is breached.

Zedekiah attempts to escape but is captured. His sons are killed before him, he is blinded, and he is taken to Babylon.

Babylonian forces burn the temple, the royal palace, and major buildings throughout Jerusalem. The city walls are broken down.

Temple furnishings and valuable metals are carried away. Leading officials and priests are executed.

Much of the remaining population is deported, although some of the poorest people are left to work the land.

The Davidic kingdom, Jerusalem’s defenses, and Solomon’s temple have all collapsed.

Yet the biblical story does not end with the destruction. Prophets speak into exile, communities adapt to life away from the land, and later Persian policy will permit a return. The catastrophe becomes the backdrop for Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and much of the Bible’s reflection on judgment, restoration, and hope.