This brief decree about the upcoming exile is likely related to the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 605 BC (see study note on Daniel 1:1). However, it might also refer to the invasions in 597, 586, or 581 BC, when some people of Judah were exiled (see Jeremiah 52:28–30).
I will sling out: This phrase may include refugees who fled to nearby countries and those taken to Babylon.