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.
Chapter 25
1. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the
tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host,
against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built
forts against it round about.
2. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king
Zedekiah.
3. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine
prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people
of the land.
4. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by
night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by
the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city
round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.
5. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and
overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were
scattered from him.
6. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of
Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.
7. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put
out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of
brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8. And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month,
which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant
of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
9. And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house,
and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house
burnt he with fire.
10. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain
of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
11. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and
the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with
the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of
the guard carry away.
12. But the captain of the guard left of the door of the poor of
the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
13. And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD,
and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of
the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the
brass of them to Babylon.
14. And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the
spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they
ministered, took they away.
15. And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of
gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the
guard took away.
16. The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had
made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these
vessels was without weight.
17. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the
chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter
three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon
the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these
had the second pillar with wreathen work.
18. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest,
and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of
the door:
19. And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the
men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's
presence, which were found in the city, and the principal
scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land,
and threescore men of the people of the land that were found
in the city:
20. And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought
them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:
21. And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah
in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of
their land.
22. And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah,
whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them
he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
ruler.
23. And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men,
heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor,
there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the
son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of
a Maachathite, they and their men.
24. And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto
them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in
the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be
well with you.
25. But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the
son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal,
came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he
died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at
Mizpah.
26. And all the people, both small and great, and the captains
of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were
afraid of the Chaldees.
27. And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the
captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month,
on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that
Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to
reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out
of prison;
28. And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the
throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;
29. And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread
continually before him all the days of his life.
30. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the
king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
