aZedekiah was twenty-one
years
old
when he became
king
, and he reigned
eleven
years
in Jerusalem
; and his mother's
name
was 1 bHamutal
the daughter
of Jeremiah
of cLibnah
.
He did aevil
in the sight
of the LORD
like all
that bJehoiakim
had done
.
For through the aanger
of the LORD
this came
about in Jerusalem
and Judah
until
He cast
them out from His presence
. And Zedekiah
brebelled
against the king
of Babylon
.
aNow 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 bsiege
wall
all
around
1it.
aSo the city was under siege
until
the eleventh
year
of King
Zedekiah
.
On the ninth day of the afourth
month
the bfamine
was so severe
in the city
that there was no
food
for the people
of the land
.
Then the city was abroken
into, and all
the bmen
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 1 call
around
the city
. And they went
by way
of the Arabah
.
But the army of the Chaldeans
pursued
the king
and aovertook
Zedekiah
in the 1plains
of Jericho
, and all
his army
was scattered
from him.
Then they captured the king
and abrought
him up to the king
of Babylon
at bRiblah
in the land
of cHamath
, and he 1passed
sentence
on him.
The king of Babylon
aslaughtered
the sons
of Zedekiah
before his eyes
, and he also
slaughtered
all
the 1princes
of Judah
in Riblah
.
Then he ablinded 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
.
aNow on the tenth day of the fifth
month
, which
was the bnineteenth
year
of King
Nebuchadnezzar
, king
of Babylon
, cNebuzaradan
the captain
of the bodyguard
, 1who was in the service
of the king
of Babylon
, came
to Jerusalem
.
He aburned the house
of the LORD
, the bking's
house
and all
the houses
of Jerusalem
; even every
large
house
he burned
with fire
.
So all the army
of the Chaldeans
who
were with the captain
of the guard
abroke
down
all
the walls
around
Jerusalem
.
Then Nebuzaradan the captain
of the guard
acarried
away
into exile
some
of the poorest
of the people
, the rest
of the people
who were left
in the city
, the 1 bdeserters
who
had deserted
to the king
of Babylon
and the rest
of the artisans
.
But aNebuzaradan the captain
of the guard
left
some
of the poorest
of the land
to be vinedressers
and 1plowmen
.
Now the bronze apillars
which
belonged to the house
of the LORD
and the bstands
and the bronze
csea
, which
were in the house
of the LORD
, the Chaldeans
broke
in pieces
and carried
all
their bronze
to Babylon
.
They also took away the apots
, the shovels
, the snuffers
, the basins
, the 1pans
and all
the bronze
vessels
which
were used
in temple service
.
The captain of the guard
also took
away the abowls
, the firepans
, the basins
, the pots
, the lampstands
, the 1pans
and the drink
offering
bowls
, what
was fine
gold
and what
was fine
silver
.
The two pillars
, the one
sea
, and the twelve
bronze
bulls
that were under
1the sea
, and the stands
, which
King
Solomon
had made
for the house
of the LORD
--the bronze
of all
these
vessels
was abeyond
weight
.
As for the pillars, the aheight
of each
pillar
was eighteen
1cubits
, and 2it was twelve
cubits
in acircumference
and four
fingers
in thickness
, and hollow
.
Now a acapital of bronze
was on it; and the height
of each
capital
was five
cubits
, with network
and bpomegranates
upon the capital
all
around
, all
of bronze
. And the second
pillar
was like these
, including pomegranates
.
There were ninety-six 1exposed
pomegranates
; all
athe pomegranates
numbered a hundred
on the network
all
around
.
Then the captain of the guard
took
aSeraiah
the chief
priest
and bZephaniah
the second
priest
, with the three
1 cofficers
of the temple
.
He also took from the city
one
official
who
was overseer
of the men
of war
, and seven
1of the aking'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
.
Nebuzaradan the captain
of the guard
took
them and abrought
them to the king
of Babylon
at Riblah
.
Then the king of Babylon
astruck
them down
and put
them to death
at Riblah
in the land
of Hamath
. So Judah
was bled
away
into exile
from its land
.
These are the people
whom
aNebuchadnezzar
carried
away
into exile
: in the 1seventh
year
3,023
Jews
;
in the eighteenth year
of Nebuchadnezzar
832
persons
from Jerusalem
;
in the twenty-third year
of Nebuchadnezzar
, aNebuzaradan
the captain
of the guard
carried
into exile
745
Jewish
people
; there were 4,600
persons
in all
.
aNow 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 1Evil-merodach
king
of Babylon
, in the first year
of his reign
, 2 bshowed
favor
to Jehoiachin
king
of Judah
and brought
him out of prison
.
aThen he spoke kindly
to him and set
his throne
above
the thrones
of the kings
who
were with him in Babylon
.
So 1Jehoiachin achanged his prison
clothes
, and 2 bhad
his meals
in 3the king's presence
regularly
all
the days
of his life
.
For his allowance, a aregular
allowance
was given
him by the king
of Babylon
, a daily
portion
all
the days
of his life
until
the day
of his death
.