NET Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.

1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

2He did what displeased the LORD just as Jehoiakim had done.

2He did evil in the sight of the LORD like all that Jehoiakim had done.

3What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the LORD's anger when he drove them out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

3For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

4King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah.

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 siege wall all around it.

5The city remained under siege until Zedekiah's eleventh year.

5So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food.

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.

7They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king's garden. (The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.

7Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king's garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah.

8But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him.

8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.

9They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there.

9Then 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.

10The king of Babylon had Zedekiah's sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah.

10The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

11He had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him bound in chains. Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.

11Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.

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 was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

13He burned down the LORD's temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house.

13He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.

14The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

14So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

15Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor, the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen.

15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away 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 artisans.

16But he left behind some of the poor and gave them fields and vineyards.

16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

17The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the LORD, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called the "The Sea." They took all the bronze to Babylon.

17Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the LORD and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon.

18They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.

18They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service.

19The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.

19The captain of the guard also took away the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver.

20The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the LORD's temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called "The Sea," the twelve bronze bulls under "The Sea," and the movable stands) was too heavy to be weighed.

20The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under 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.

21Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference, three inches thick, and hollow.

21As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, and it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow.

22The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it.

22Now a capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates.

23There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.

23There were ninety-six exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the network all around.

24The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.

24Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three officers of the temple.

25From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king's advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city.

25He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven of the king's advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe 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.

26Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

26Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

27The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile away from its land.

27Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led away into exile from its land.

28Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

28These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away into exile: in the seventh year 3,023 Jews;

29in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem;

29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem;

30in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4,600 people went into exile.

30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.

31In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.

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 Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.

32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.

32Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

33Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king's presence for the rest of his life.

33So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king's presence regularly all the days of his life.

34He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died.

34For his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.

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