The Fall of Jerusalem

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [a]Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. 3For because of the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon. 4Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a [b]bulwark all around [c]it. 5So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6On 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. 7Then the city was breached, and all the warriors fled and left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [d]all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the [e]desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he [f]passed sentence on him. 10And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who [g]was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13And he burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

17Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the LORD and the stands and the bronze [h]sea, which were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18They also took the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [i]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19The captain of the guard also took the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [j]pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20The two pillars, the one [k]sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [l]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 21As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was [m]eighteen cubits, and [n]it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22Also, a capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was [o]five cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23There were ninety-six [p]exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.

24Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [q]officers of the temple. 25He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven [r]of the king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. 26Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led into exile from its land.

28These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the [s]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.

31Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that [t]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, [u]showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So [v]Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and [w]had his meals in [x]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34And as his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.

[a] 1 Another reading is Hamital
[b] 4 I.e., a defensive wall
[c] 4 Lit against it
[d] 7 Lit against the city on every side
[e] 8 Heb Arabah
[f] 9 Lit spoke judgments with
[g] 12 Lit stood before the king
[h] 17 I.e., large basin
[i] 18 Or spoons for incense
[j] 19 Or spoons for incense
[k] 20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
[l] 20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
[m] 21 About 27 ft. high and 18 ft. in circumference or 8 m and 5.4 m
[n] 21 Lit a thread of 12 cubits would encircle it
[o] 22 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
[p] 23 Lit windward
[q] 24 Lit keepers of the door
[r] 25 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
[s] 28 Or possibly seventeenth
[t] 31 Or Awil-Marduk (“Man of Marduk”)
[u] 31 Lit lifted up the head of
[v] 33 Lit he
[w] 33 Lit ate bread
[x] 33 Lit his presence