Jewish–Babylonian war

Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 597 BC, and managed to capture the city and king Jehoiachin,[4][5][6] along with all of the aristocracy of Jerusalem.[7] He also looted the treasures of the temple, including the golden implements.[8] Then Nebuchadnezzar exiled 10,000 of the officers, and the craftsmen, and 7,000 soldiers.[9] Then, he appointed Jehoiachin's uncle, Mattaniah as king of Judah. Later, Mattaniah changed his name to Zedekiah.[10][11]

In July 587 BC,[12] Zedekiah rebelled against Babylonia, making an alliance with Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem again, starving the people.[13] Later, the Babylonian troops managed to get inside the walls and conquer the city, yet Zedekiah and some of his troops managed to escape to Jericho, where they fought against the Babylonians (called Chaldeans by the Bible), who captured Zedekiah and his sons and brought them in chains to Babylonia, where Zedekiah's children were executed in front of him. On the seventh of Av, Nebuzaradan, a Babylonian executioner, burned down Solomon's Temple, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, and exiled the rest of the Jews to Babylonia. He appointed Gedalia as the administrator of the Jews that weren't exiled from Judah. Judah ceased to exist a year later, in 586 BC. Gedalia was later murdered in 582 BC.