17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s[a] uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(A)

Judah’s King Zedekiah

18 Zedekiah(B) was twenty-one years old when he became king,(C) and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal(D) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight just as Jehoiakim had done.(E) 20 Because of the Lord’s anger,(F) it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he finally banished them from his presence.(G) Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 24:17 Lit his

17 He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(A)

Zedekiah King of Judah(B)

18 Zedekiah(C) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal(D) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil(E) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust(F) them from his presence.(G)

The Fall of Jerusalem(H)(I)(J)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

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17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

20 For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

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10 In the spring[a](A) Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable articles of the Lord’s temple. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.(B)

Judah’s King Zedekiah

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old(C) when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself(D) before the prophet Jeremiah at the Lord’s command.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 36:10 Lit At the return of the year

10 In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,(A) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle,[a] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah King of Judah(B)

11 Zedekiah(C) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord(D) his God and did not humble(E) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Chronicles 36:10 Hebrew brother, that is, relative (see 2 Kings 24:17)

10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.

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The Yoke of Babylon

27 At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah[a] son of Josiah, king of Judah,(A) this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:[b] This is what the Lord said to me: “Make chains and yoke bars(B) for yourself and put them on your neck.(C) Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon(D) through messengers who are coming to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Tell this to your masters: “By my great strength and outstretched arm,(E) I made the earth,(F) and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please.[c](G) So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of my servant(H) Nebuchadnezzar,(I) king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, and then many nations and great kings will enslave him.(J)

“‘“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague—this is the Lord’s declaration—until through him I have destroyed it. So you should not listen to your prophets, diviners,(K) dreamers, fortune-tellers,(L) or sorcerers(M) who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ 10 They are prophesying a lie(N) to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. 11 But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate[d] it and reside in it. This is the Lord’s declaration.”’”

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Footnotes

  1. 27:1 Some Hb mss, Syr, Arabic; other Hb mss, DSS read Jehoiakim
  2. 27:1 LXX omits this v.
  3. 27:5 Lit to whomever is upright in my eyes
  4. 27:11 Lit work

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah[a](A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke(B) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send(C) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,(D) Tyre and Sidon(E) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm(F) I made(G) the earth and its people and the animals(H) that are on it, and I give(I) it to anyone I please. Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant(J) Nebuchadnezzar(K) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.(L) All nations will serve(M) him and his son and his grandson until the time(N) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate(O) him.

“‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish(P) that nation with the sword,(Q) famine(R) and plague,(S) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets,(T) your diviners,(U) your interpreters of dreams,(V) your mediums(W) or your sorcerers(X) who tell you, ‘You will not serve(Y) the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy lies(Z) to you that will only serve to remove(AA) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11 But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke(AB) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live(AC) there, declares the Lord.”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)

27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

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