Jeremiah 52

The Fall of Jerusalem—2 Kings 24:18–25:26; 2 Chronicles 36:11–12; Jeremiah 39:1–10

1 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.2 Zedekiah did what the Lord considered evil, as Jehoiakim had done.

3 The Lord became angry with Jerusalem and Judah and threw the people out of his sight.
Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.4 On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. They set up camp and built dirt ramps around the city walls.5 The blockade of the city lasted until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king.

6 On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city became so severe that the common people had no food.
7 The enemy broke through the city walls, and all Judah’s soldiers fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls beside the king’s garden. While the Babylonians were attacking the city from all sides, they took the road to the plain of Jericho.8 The Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plain of Jericho. His entire army had deserted him.9 The Babylonians captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in Hamath, where the king of Babylon passed sentence on him.10 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as Zedekiah watched. He also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah.

11 Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze shackles. The king of Babylon took him to Babylon and put him in a prison, where he stayed until he died.
12 On the tenth day of the fifth month of Nebuchadnezzar’s nineteenth year as king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, who was the captain of the guard and an officer of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.13 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. Every important building was burned down.

14 The entire Babylonian army that was with the captain of the guard tore down the walls around Jerusalem.
15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, captured the few people left in the city, those who surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.

16 But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left some of the poorest people in the land to work in the vineyards and on the farms.
17 The Babylonians broke apart the bronze pillars of the Lord’s temple, the stands, and the bronze pool in the Lord’s temple. They shipped all the bronze to Babylon.18 They took the pots, shovels, snuffers, bowls, dishes, and all the bronze utensils used in the temple service.19 The captain of the guard also took pans, incense burners, bowls, pots, lamp stands, dishes, and the bowls used for wine offerings. The captain of the guard took all of the trays and bowls that were made of gold or silver.20 The bronze from the 2 pillars, the pool, and the 12 bronze bulls under the stands that King Solomon had made for the Lord’s temple couldn’t be weighed.21 One pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. It was three inches thick and hollow.22 The capital that was on it was 7½ feet high with a filigree and pomegranates around it. They were all made of bronze. The second pillar was the same. It also had pomegranates.

23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides. The total number of pomegranates on the surrounding filigree was 100.
24 The captain of the guard took the chief priest Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and the 3 doorkeepers.25 From the city he also took an army commander, 7 men who had access to the king whom he found in the city, the scribe who was in charge of the militia, and 60 common people whom he found in the city.26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

27 The king of Babylon executed them at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So the people of Judah were captives as they left their land.
28 These are the people Nebuchadnezzar took captive: In his seventh year as king, he took 3,023 Jews.29 In his eighteenth year, Nebuchadnezzar took 832 people from Jerusalem.

30 In Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year as king, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took away 745 Jews. In all, 4,600 people were taken away.

King Jehoiakin Released From Prison—2 Kings 25:27–30

31 On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the imprisonment of King Jehoiakin of Judah, King Evil Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, freed King Jehoiakin of Judah and released him from prison.32 He treated him well and gave him a special position higher than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.33 Jehoiakin no longer wore prison clothes, and he ate his meals in the king’s presence as long as he lived.

34 The king of Babylon gave him a daily food allowance as long as he lived.

Jeremiah 52

The Fall of Jerusalem

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

2 He did what displeased the Lordt just as Jehoiakim had done.
3 What 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.t Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.4 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it.t 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.s5 The city remained under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year.6 By the ninth day of the fourth months the famine in the city was so severe the residentst had no food.7 They 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.s (The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley.s8 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho,s and his entire army deserted him.9 They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblahs in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there.10 The 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.

11 He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains.t Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.
12 On the tentht day of the fifth month,s in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guardt who servedt the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.13 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house.14 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor,t the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen.

16 But het left behind some of the poort and gave them fields and vineyards.
17 The 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.”s They took all the bronze to Babylon.18 They also took the pots, shovels,s trimming shears,s basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.t19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers,s basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.s20 The 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 standss) was too heavy to be weighed.21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feett high, about 18 feett in circumference, three inchest thick, and hollow.22 The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feett high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it.

23 There 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.
24 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.s25 From 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 citizenst for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city.26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

27 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executedt at Riblah in the territory of Hamath.
So Judah was taken into exile away from its land.28 Here is the official record of the number of peoplet Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year,s 3,023 Jews;29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,s 832 people from Jerusalem;

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

Jehoiachin in Exile

31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifths day of the twelfth month,s Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardonedt King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position thant the other kings who were with him in Babylon.33 Jehoiachint took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life.

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