Prophecy 1: “For the reason that you [the Israelites] did not obey my [God’s] words, here I am sending . . . to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, . . . and I will bring them [the Babylonians] against this land and against its inhabitants . . . And all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”​—Jeremiah 25:8-11.

Fulfillment: After an extended siege, Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. He also conquered other Judean cities, including Lachish and Azekah. (Jeremiah 34:6, 7) He deported most of the survivors to Babylon, where they were held captive for 70 years.

● The book The Bible and Archaeology says that excavations and surveys in Lachish confirm the following: “The final destruction was violent, and so fierce was the fire which destroyed the city [Lachish] that the limestone of the buildings turned to lime.”