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52 A son of twenty and one years [is] Zedekiah in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that Jehoiakim hath done,

for, because of the anger of Jehovah, it hath been in Jerusalem and Judah till He hath cast them from before His face, and Zedekiah doth rebel against the king of Babylon.

And it cometh to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth of the month, come hath Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon -- he and all his force -- against Jerusalem, and they encamp against it, and build against it a fortification round about;

and the city cometh into siege till the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

In the fourth month, in the ninth of the month, when the famine is severe in the city, and there hath been no bread for the people of the land,

then is the city broken up, and all the men of war flee, and go forth from the city by night, the way of the gate between the two walls, that [is] by the king's garden -- and the Chaldeans [are] by the city round about -- and they go the way of the plain.

And the forces of the Chaldeans pursue after the king, and overtake Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his forces have been scattered from him,

and they capture the king, and bring him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he speaketh with him -- judgments.

10 And the king of Babylon slaughtereth the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also all the princes of Judah hath he slaughtered in Riblah;

11 and the eyes of Zedekiah he hath blinded, and he bindeth him in brazen fetters, and the king of Babylon bringeth him to Babylon, and putteth him in the house of inspection unto the day of his death.

12 And in the fifth month, in the tenth of the month -- it [is] the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon -- come hath Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners; he hath stood before the king of Babylon in Jerusalem,

13 and he burneth the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house he hath burned with fire,

14 and all the walls of Jerusalem round about broken down have all the forces of the Chaldeans that [are] with the chief of the executioners.

15 And of the poor of the people, and the remnant of the people who are left in the city, and those who are falling away, who have fallen unto the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the multitude, hath Nebuzar-Adan chief of the executioners, removed;

16 and of the poor of the land hath Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners, left for vine-dressers and for husbandmen.

17 And the pillars of brass that [are] to the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the brasen sea that [is] in the house of Jehovah, have the Chaldeans broken, and they bear away all the brass of them to Babylon;

18 and the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they minister, they have taken away;

19 and the basins, and the fire-pans, and the bowls, and the pots, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups, the gold of that which [is] gold, and the silver of that which [is] silver, hath the chief of the executioners taken.

20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve brazen oxen that [are] beneath the bases, that king Solomon made for the house of Jehovah, there was no weighing of the brass of all these vessels.

21 As to the pillars, eighteen cubits [is] the height of the one pillar, and a cord of twelve cubits doth compass it, and its thickness [is] four fingers hollow.

22 And the chapiter upon it [is] of brass, and the height of the one chapiter [is] five cubits, and net-work and pomegranates [are] on the chapiter round about, the whole [is] of brass; and like these have the second pillar, and pomegranates.

23 And the pomegranates are ninety and six on a side, all the pomegranates [are] a hundred on the net-work round about.

24 And the chief of the executioners taketh Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold,

25 and out of the city he hath taken a certain eunuch, who hath been inspector over the men of war, and seven men of those seeing the king's face, who have been found in the city, and the head scribe of the host, who mustereth the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land, who are found in the midst of the city;

26 and Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners, taketh them, and bringeth them unto the king of Babylon to Riblah,

27 and the king of Babylon smiteth them, and putteth them to death in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he removeth Judah from off its own ground.

28 This [is] the people whom Nebuchadrezzar hath removed: in the seventh year, of Jews, three thousand and twenty and three;

29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar -- from Jerusalem, souls, eight hundred thirty and two;

30 in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar, hath Nebuzar-Adan chief of the guard removed of Jewish souls, seven hundred forty and five; all the souls [are] four thousand and six hundred.

31 And it cometh to pass, in the thirty and seventh year of the removal of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty and fifth of the month, hath Evil-Merodach king of Babylon lifted up, in the year of his reign, the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and bringeth him out from the house of restraint,

32 and speaketh with him good things, and setteth his throne above the throne of the kings who [are] with him in Babylon,

33 and he hath changed his prison garments, and he hath eaten bread before him continually, all the days of his life.

34 And his allowance -- a continual allowance -- hath been given to him by the king of Babylon, the matter of a day in its day, till the day of his death -- all days of his life.

The Fall of Jerusalem(A)(B)(C)

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

Now Zedekiah rebelled(I) against the king of Babylon.

So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth(J) day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem(K) with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works(L) all around it.(M) The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.(N) Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.(O) They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[a] were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[b] but the Babylonian[c] army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured.(P)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah(Q) in the land of Hamath,(R) where he pronounced sentence on him. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons(S) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.(T)

12 On the tenth day of the fifth(U) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan(V) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He set fire(W) to the temple(X) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses(Y) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14 The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls(Z) around Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(AA) some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen[d] and those who had deserted(AB) to the king of Babylon. 16 But Nebuzaradan left behind(AC) the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,(AD) the movable stands(AE) and the bronze Sea(AF) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.(AG) 18 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,(AH) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.(AI) 19 The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,(AJ) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,(AK) dishes(AL) and bowls used for drink offerings(AM)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(AN)

20 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls(AO) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.(AP) 21 Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference[e]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.(AQ) 22 The bronze capital(AR) on top of one pillar was five cubits[f] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates(AS) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates(AT) above the surrounding network was a hundred.(AU)

24 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(AV) the chief priest, Zephaniah(AW) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(AX) 25 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary(AY) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan(AZ) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 There at Riblah,(BA) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.

So Judah went into captivity, away(BB) from her land. 28 This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:(BC)

in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,

832 people from Jerusalem;

30 in his twenty-third year,

745 Jews taken into exile(BD) by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.

There were 4,600 people in all.(BE)

Jehoiachin Released(BF)

31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin(BG) king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(BH) 34 Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance(BI) as long as he lived, till the day of his death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 17
  2. Jeremiah 52:7 Or the Jordan Valley
  3. Jeremiah 52:8 Or Chaldean; also in verse 14
  4. Jeremiah 52:15 Or the populace
  5. Jeremiah 52:21 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  6. Jeremiah 52:22 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters