| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Zedekiah 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. | 1Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king and reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. |
| 2And Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. | 2Zedekiah did what was evil in the LORD's sight just as Jehoiakim had done. |
| 3For because of the anger of the LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled against the king of Babylon. | 3Because of the LORD's anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He finally banished them from His presence. Nevertheless, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. |
| 4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. | 4In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army. They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall all around it. |
| 5And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year. | 5The city was under siege until King Zedekiah's eleventh year. |
| 6By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food. | 6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the people of the land had no food. |
| 7Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah, | 7Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled. They left the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. They made their way along the route to the Arabah. |
| 8but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. | 8The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. Zedekiah's entire army was scattered from him. |
| 9The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah. | 9The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. |
| 10There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also killed all the officials of Judah. | 10At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons before his eyes and also slaughtered the Judean commanders. |
| 11Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day. | 11Then he blinded Zedekiah and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Babylon brought Zedekiah to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day. |
| 12On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. | 12On the tenth day of the fifth month--which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon--Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, entered Jerusalem as the representative of the king of Babylon. |
| 13He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. | 13He burned the LORD's temple, the king's palace, all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the nobles. |
| 14And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. | 14The whole Chaldean army with the commander of the guards tore down all the walls surrounding Jerusalem. |
| 15Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the craftsmen. | 15Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported some of the poorest of the people, as well as the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. |
| 16But Nebuzaradan captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields. | 16But some of the poorest people of the land Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, left to be vinedressers and farmers. |
| 17Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon. | 17Now the Chaldeans broke into pieces the bronze pillars for the LORD's temple and the water carts and the bronze reservoir that were in the LORD's temple, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. |
| 18They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. | 18They took the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, dishes, and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. |
| 19The captain of the guard also took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and drink offering bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver. | 19The commander of the guards took away the bowls, firepans, sprinkling basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and drink offering bowls--whatever was gold or silver. |
| 20As for the two pillars, the Sea, the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands that King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure. | 20As for the two pillars, the one reservoir, and the 12 bronze bulls under the water carts that King Solomon had made for the LORD's temple, the weight of the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. |
| 21Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall and twelve cubits in circumference; each was hollow, four fingers thick. | 21One pillar was 27 feet tall, had a circumference of 18 feet, was hollow--four fingers thick-- |
| 22The bronze capital atop one pillar was five cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. | 22and had a bronze capital on top of it. One capital, encircled by bronze latticework and pomegranates, stood 7 1/2 feet high. The second pillar was the same, with pomegranates. |
| 23Each capital had ninety-six pomegranates on the sides, and a total of a hundred pomegranates were above the surrounding network. | 23Each capital had 96 pomegranates all around it. All the pomegranates around the latticework numbered 100. |
| 24The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. | 24The commander of the guards also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of the second rank, and the three doorkeepers. |
| 25Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as seven trusted royal advisers. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city. | 25From the city he took a court official who had been appointed over the warriors; seven trusted royal aides found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army, who enlisted the people of the land for military duty; and 60 men from the common people who were found within the city. |
| 26Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 26Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 27There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land. | 27The king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land. |
| 28These are the people Nebuchadnezzar carried away: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; | 28These are the people Nebuchadnezzar deported: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; |
| 29in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; | 29in his eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; |
| 30in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away 745 Jews. So in all, 4,600 people were taken away. | 30in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, deported 745 Jews. All together 4,600 people were deported. |
| 31On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of Evil-merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison. | 31On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah's King Jehoiachin, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. |
| 32And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. | 32He spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 33So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. | 33So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. |
| 34And the king of Babylon provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day of his death. | 34As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, for the rest of his life. |
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