When the Babylonians captured King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, they took him to Riblah, where they executed a brutal punishment. According to Jeremiah 39:6-7 (RSV):

"Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes; and the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters to take him to Babylon."

Thus, they put out his eyes before taking him to Babylon in chains. This was a symbolic act of total humiliation and loss of hope for Zedekiah, marking the end of the Davidic dynasty's rule.