Within a few short years the king of Babylon was to be used as the instrument of God's wrath upon impenitent Judah. Again and again Jerusalem was to be invested and entered by the besieging armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Company after company--at first a few only, but later on thousands and tens of thousands--were to be taken captive to the land of Shinar, there to dwell in enforced exile. Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah--all these Jewish kings were in turn to become vassals of the Babylonian 423 ruler, and all in turn were to rebel. Severer and yet more severe chastisements were to be inflicted upon the rebellious nation, until at last the entire land was to become a desolation, Jerusalem was to be laid waste and burned with fire, the temple that Solomon had built was to be destroyed, and the kingdom of Judah was to fall, never again to occupy its former position among the nations of earth.

Gud ville i løbet af få år benytte Babylons konge som sin vredes kæp for at straffe det ubodfærdige Juda. Nebukadnezars hære skulle ved flere lejligheder belejre og gøre indfald i Jerusalem. Landets indbyggere ville i flere afdelinger blive ført fangne til Sinears land for at leve i tvungen udlændighed. Til at begynde med blev der kun bortført nogle få, men senere løb antallet op i tusinder og titusinder. De jødiske konger, Jojakim, Jojakin og Zedekias ville efter tur blive den babyloniske konges vasaller, og alle tre ville gøre oprør imod ham. Den oprørske nation ville blive straffet hårdere og hårdere, og til sidst ville hele landet blive lagt øde. Jerusalem ville blive ødelagt og fortæret af flammer, det tempel, som Salomo havde bygget, ville blive ødelagt, og Judas rige ville falde og aldrig mere få sin gamle position blandt nationerne tilbage.