Zedekiah King of Judah^(A)

¹⁸ Zedekiah^(B) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal^(C) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. ¹⁹ He did evil^(D) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust^(E) them from his presence.^(F)

The Fall of Jerusalem^(G)(H)(I)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 So in the ninth^(J) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar^(K) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works^(L) all around it. ² The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

³ By the ninth day of the fourth^[a] month the famine^(M) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. ⁴ Then the city wall was broken through,^(N) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^[b] were surrounding^(O) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^{[c] 5} but the Babylonian^[d] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,^{(P) 6} and he was captured.^(Q)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,^(R) where sentence was pronounced on him. ⁷ They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.^(S)

Jehoiachin King of Judah^(A)

⁹ Jehoiachin^(B) was eighteen^[a] years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ¹⁰ In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon,^(C) together with articles of value from the temple of the Lord, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle,^[b] Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Zedekiah King of Judah^(D)

¹¹ Zedekiah^(E) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. ¹² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord^(F) his God and did not humble^(G) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. ¹³ He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath^(H) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked^(I) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,^(J) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.