Editing Babylonian captivity (section)

==Chronology==
The following table is based on Rainer Albertz's work on ''Israel in exile'', itself based mainly on biblical texts.<ref>Rainer Albertz, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Xx9YzJq2B9wC&pg=PR21 ''Israel in exile: the history and literature of the sixth century BCE''], p.xxi.
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=Xx9YzJq2B9wC&pg=PA77 page 77 with another list of dates]</ref> (Alternative dates are possible.)

{| class="wikitable" style="align: center;"
|-
! style="width:10%;"|Year
! style="width:90%;"|Event
|- style="text-align:right; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|609 BCE
|align="left"|Death of [[Josiah]]. [[Jehoahaz of Judah|Jehoahaz]] reigns three months. <br>Jehoahaz is deposed and taken captive to Egypt by the Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] [[Necho II]]. <br>[[Jehoiakim]] is made king of Judah by Necho and reigns 11 years.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|605 BCE
|align="left"|Babylonians defeat the Egyptians and besiege Jerusalem. Jehoiakim surrenders and begins giving tribute to [[Nebuchadrezzar II|Nebuchadnezzar II]] of Babylon in 605 BCE. <br>First deportation, purportedly including [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]], [[Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah]].
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|601 BCE
|align="left"|Babylonians fail to invade Egypt. Jehoiakim switches his allegiance back to the Egyptians.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|598/7 BCE
|align="left"|Nebuchadnezzar invades Judea and again lays siege to Jerusalem. <br>End of Jehoiakim's reign. [[Jehoiachin]] reigns three months.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|597 BCE
|align="left"|[[Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)|First fall of Jerusalem]]. Second deportation, 16 March 597 including Jehoiachin and [[Ezekiel]]. <br>[[Zedekiah]] is made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar and reigns 11 years.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|594 BCE
|align="left"|Anti-Babylonian conspiracy. Zedekiah arranges a meeting of the kings of [[Ammon]], [[Edom]], [[Moab]], [[Sidon]] and [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] in Jerusalem to deal with the possibility of throwing off Babylonian control.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|587 BCE
|align="left"|[[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|Second fall of Jerusalem]]. [[Solomon's Temple]] destroyed. <br>Third deportation July/August 587. Zedekiah is taken captive to Babylon and his sons are killed.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|583 BCE
|align="left"|[[Gedaliah]], the Babylonian-appointed governor of [[Yehud (Babylonian province)|Yehud Province]], is assassinated. <br>Many Jews flee to Egypt and a possible fourth deportation to Babylon.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|562 BCE
|align="left"|Release of Jehoiachin after 37 years in a Babylonian prison following the ascension of [[Amel-Marduk]]. Jehoiachin remains in Babylon.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|539 BCE
|align="left"|Persians conquer Babylon (October).
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|538 BCE
|align="left"|[[Cyrus's edict|Decree of Cyrus]] allows Jews to return to Jerusalem. Sheshbazzar leads a wave of Jews back to Yehud.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|520–515 BCE
|align="left"|Return by many Jews to Yehud under [[Zerubbabel]] and Joshua the High Priest.<br> Foundations of Second Temple laid.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|457 BCE
|align="left"|Third return migration under Ezra who reintroduces the Torah in Jerusalem.
|- style="text-align:left; background:#ffffec; vertical-align:top;"
| style="text-align:center;"|444 BCE
|align="left"|Fourth return migration under Nehemiah who rebuilds Jerusalem and its walls.
|}