⁶ He decided how he would punish Zedekiah. He told his soldiers to kill all Zedekiah's sons, while Zedekiah watched. Nebuchadnezzar also punished all the important men of Judah with death. ⁷ Then they cut out Zedekiah's eyes to make him blind. They tied him with chains to take him to Babylon as their prisoner.

⁸ Babylon's soldiers destroyed the king's palace with fire. They also destroyed the temple and the people's houses in Jerusalem. They knocked down the walls around the city.