Jeremiah 52:24-30--The People Exiled to Babylon

Jeremiah 52:24-30
English Standard Version

The People Exiled to Babylon
24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 25 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and seven men of the king's council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

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The priests are not saved from the exile and conquest of Babylon.  Just as Jeremiah promised, all of the chief priests who had heard the prophecy of the LORD and rebelled against it and tried to stir the people up to fight and resist the Word of the LORD were captured and executed by the Babylonians.  The text gives the number of exiles from Judah and Jerusalem from the various campaigns carried out by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and Chaldeans as 4,600.   This is an extremely small number (less than 1% based off of the last census taken by David).  The others would have died in battle or from the plagues or pestilence or famine promised by the LORD.  Certainly those who escaped into captivity had much to mourn and we see that in the book of Daniel when they hung up their harps and lyres and refused to sing the Psalms because their heart was grieved.