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18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began his eleven-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

19 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in keeping with all Jehoiakim had done.

20 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He cast them out of His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it, and they built siege works against it round about.

The city was besieged [nearly two years] until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was complete in the city; there was no food for the people of the land.

Then the city was broken through; the king and all the warriors fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were round about the city. [The king] went by the way toward the Arabah (the plain).

The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

So they captured Zedekiah and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and sentence was passed on him.

And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in double fetters [hands and feet] and carried him to Babylon. [Foretold in Jer. 34:3; Ezek. 12:13.]

On the seventh day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, captain of the Babylonian king’s guard, came to Jerusalem.

He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.

10 All the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the [Babylonian] guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

11 Now the rest of the people left in the city and the deserters who fell away to the king of Babylon, along with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.

12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and soil tillers.

13 The bronze pillars in the Lord’s house and [its] bases and the bronze Sea the Chaldeans smashed and carried the bronze to Babylon.

14 And they took away the pots, shovels, snuffers, dishes for incense, all the bronze vessels used in the temple service,

15 The firepans, and bowls. Such things as were of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver [he took away] as silver.

16 The two pillars, the one Sea, and the bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these articles was incalculable.

17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and upon it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits; a network and pomegranates round about the capital were all of bronze. And the second pillar had the same as these, with a network.

18 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.

19 And out of the city he took an officer who was in command of the men of war and five men of the king’s personal advisors, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land and sixty men of the people who were found in the city.

20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

21 The king of Babylon smote and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath [north of Damascus]. So Judah was taken into exile.

Zedekiah King of Judah(A)

18 Zedekiah(B) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal(C) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil(D) 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(E) them from his presence.(F)

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

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

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

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

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(R) where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.(S)

On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire(T) to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.(U) 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls(V) around Jerusalem. 11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(W) the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon.(X) 12 But the commander left behind some of the poorest people(Y) of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

13 The Babylonians broke(Z) up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes(AA) and all the bronze articles(AB) used in the temple service. 15 The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(AC)

16 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. 17 Each pillar(AD) was eighteen cubits[e] high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits[f] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar.

18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(AE) the chief priest, Zephaniah(AF) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(AG) 19 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah,(AH) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(AI)

So Judah went into captivity,(AJ) away from her land.(AK)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 25:3 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Jer. 52:6); Masoretic Text does not have fourth.
  2. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
  3. 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  4. 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24
  5. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 27 feet or about 8.1 meters
  6. 2 Kings 25:17 That is, about 4 1/2 feet or about 1.4 meters