Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he
reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal
the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did what was evil in the
sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For
because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem
and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.
And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. And in the
ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of
the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army
against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks
all around it. So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of
King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was
so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the
land. Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war
fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate
between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were
around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. But
the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in
the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.
Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of
Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on
him. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before
his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at
Riblah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains,
and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison
till the day of his death.
In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the
nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan
the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon,
entered Jerusalem. And he burned the house of the LORD, and the
king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he
burned down. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the
captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.
And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some
of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were
left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of
Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans. But Nebuzaradan
the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be
vinedressers and plowmen.
And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and
the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD,
the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to
Babylon. And they took away the pots and the shovels and the
snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the
vessels of bronze used in the temple service; also the small bowls
and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands
and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What
was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what
was of silver, as silver. As for the two pillars, the one sea, the
twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which
Solomon the king had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of
all these things was beyond weight. As for the pillars, the height
of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve
cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. On
it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five
cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the
capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates.
There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the
pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and
Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold;
and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the
men of war, and seven men of the king's council, who were found in
the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who
mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the
land, who were found in the midst of the city. And Nebuzaradan the
captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of
Babylon at Riblah. And the king of Babylon struck them down and put
them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken
into exile out of its land.
This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away
captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; in the eighteenth year
of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832
persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan
the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745
persons; all the persons were 4,600.
And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of
Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month,
Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign,
graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of
prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the
seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put
off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined
regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular
allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs,
until the day of his death, as long as he lived.
