2 Kings 24:2

And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldees R.V. Chaldæans. The bands were irregular marauding parties which were allowed, perhaps encouraged, to overrun the country of the rebellious vassal before the great king could put his trained force in motion. These marauders did not consist only of Babylonians (Chaldæans) but comprised also bodies from the surrounding people, Syria, Moab and Ammon, whom Nebuchadnezzar had compelled to acknowledge the supremacy of Babylon in the same way as Judah had done. On this mixed army of assailants cf. Jeremiah 25:9.

according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by[R.V. by the hand of] his servants the prophets Much more stress is laid in Kings on the judgement being Jehovah's work than in Chronicles. - The Lordsent the bands", they came -according to the Lord's word" and -at Hiscommandment". The prophets had been predicting judgements to come ever since the days of Ahaz, when Isaiah prophesied. Jeremiah says, in the chapter just quoted (2 Kings 25:3), that his own appeals had been long and unavailing. A special prophecy of Isaiah concerning these events is found above (2 Kings 20:17).