Jeremiah 52

1 Zedekiah was twenty-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.2 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.3 For through the anger of Yahweh it happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.4 It happened 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 army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.5 So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.6 In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were against the city all around;) and theywent toward the Arabah.8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.9 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.10 The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he killed also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem:13 and he burned the house of Yahweh, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned he with fire.14 All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.17 The Chaldeans broke the pillars of brass that were in the house of Yahweh, and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh in pieces, and carried all the of their brass to Babylon.18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.19 The captain of the guard took away the cups, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the bowls; that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.20 They took the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh. The brass of all these vessels was without weight.21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits encircled it; and its thickness was four fingers. It was hollow.22 A capital of brass was on it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of brass: and the second pillar also had like these, and pomegranates.23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the network all around.24 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:25 and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men ofthe people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.27 The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.28 This is the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand twenty-three Jews;29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;30 in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty-five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.31 It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up thehead of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison;32 and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,33 and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life:

34 and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

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.