2 Kings 24-25
New American Standard Bible
Babylon Controls Jehoiakim
24 (A)In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and revolted against him. 2 And the Lord sent against him (B)bands of Chaldeans, (C)bands of Arameans, (D)bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, (E)in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3 (F)It indeed came upon Judah at the [a]command of the Lord, to remove them from His sight (G)due to the sins of Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done, 4 and (H)also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord was unwilling to forgive. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
Jehoiachin Reigns
6 So (I)Jehoiakim [b]lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. 7 Now (J)the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, (K)because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from (L)the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
8 (M)Jehoiachin was (N)eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (O)in accordance with all that his father had done.
Deportation to Babylon
10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. 12 Then (P)Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials. And (Q)the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign. 13 (R)He also brought out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and he (S)smashed all the articles of gold (T)that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. 14 Then (U)he led into exile all the people of Jerusalem and all the commanders and all the valiant warriors, (V)ten thousand exiles, and (W)all the craftsmen and the smiths. None were left (X)except the poorest people of the land.
15 So (Y)he led Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother, the king’s wives, and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And all the valiant men, (Z)seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, a thousand, all strong and fit for war, these too the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.
Zedekiah Made King
17 (AA)Then the king of Babylon made [c]his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
18 (AB)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was (AC)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, (AD)in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For it was (AE)due to the anger of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And (AF)Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem
25 (AG)Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, (AH)Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and (AI)built a siege wall all around [d]it. 2 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month (AJ)the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 (AK)Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls that were beside (AL)the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And [e]they went by way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then (AM)they captured the king and (AN)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (AO)Riblah, and he [f]passed sentence on him. 7 And (AP)they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then (AQ)put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.
Jerusalem Burned and Plundered
8 (AR)Now on the seventh day of the (AS)fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And (AT)he burned the house of the Lord, (AU)the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards (AV)tore down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile (AW)the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the [g]people. 12 But the captain of the bodyguards left some of (AX)the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
13 (AY)Now the Chaldeans smashed to pieces the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and (AZ)the bronze [h]Sea which were in the house of the Lord, and carried the [i]bronze to Babylon. 14 (BA)And they took away the pots, the shovels, the [j]shears, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils [k]which were used in temple service. 15 The captain of the bodyguards also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 16 The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—[l](BB)the bronze of all these articles was too heavy to weigh. 17 (BC)The height of the one pillar was [m]eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was [n]three cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, same features with latticework.
18 Then the captain of the bodyguards took (BD)Seraiah the chief priest and (BE)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [o]doorkeepers. 19 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and (BF)five [p]of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the [q]scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at (BG)Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. (BH)So Judah went into exile from its land.
Gedaliah Made Governor
22 Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed (BI)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them. 23 (BJ)When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at (BK)Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.”
25 (BL)But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [r]family, came [s]with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 (BM)Then all the people, from the small to the great, and the captains of the forces set out and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
27 (BN)Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of (BO)the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, [t](BP)released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison; 28 and he (BQ)spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So [u]Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and [v](BR)had his meals in [w]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life; 30 and as his (BS)allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 24:3 Lit mouth
- 2 Kings 24:6 I.e., died
- 2 Kings 24:17 I.e., Jehoiachin’s uncle
- 2 Kings 25:1 Lit against it
- 2 Kings 25:4 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT he
- 2 Kings 25:6 Lit spoke judgment with him
- 2 Kings 25:11 Lit multitude
- 2 Kings 25:13 I.e., a very large basin
- 2 Kings 25:13 Lit bronze of them
- 2 Kings 25:14 I.e., wick trimmers
- 2 Kings 25:14 Lit with which they served
- 2 Kings 25:16 Lit there was no weight for the bronze of
- 2 Kings 25:17 About 27 ft. or 8 m
- 2 Kings 25:17 About 4.5 ft. or 1.3 m
- 2 Kings 25:18 Lit keepers of the threshold
- 2 Kings 25:19 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
- 2 Kings 25:19 Or scribe, a captain
- 2 Kings 25:25 Lit seed
- 2 Kings 25:25 Lit and ten men with him
- 2 Kings 25:27 Lit raised the head of
- 2 Kings 25:29 Lit he
- 2 Kings 25:29 Lit ate bread
- 2 Kings 25:29 Lit his presence
2 Kings 24-25
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Judah Overrun by Enemies
24 In his days King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up; Jehoiakim became his servant for three years, then turned and rebelled against him.(A) 2 He[a] sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, bands of the Arameans, bands of the Moabites, and bands of the Ammonites; he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets.(B) 3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, for all that he had committed,(C) 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to pardon.(D) 5 Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? 6 So Jehoiakim slept with his ancestors; then his son Jehoiachin succeeded him.(E) 7 The king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken over all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Wadi of Egypt to the River Euphrates.(F)
Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign; he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.(G) 9 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.(H) 11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it; 12 King Jehoiachin of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon: himself, his mother, his servants, his officers, and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign.(I)
Capture of Jerusalem
13 He carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord that King Solomon of Israel had made, all this as the Lord had foretold.(J) 14 He carried away all Jerusalem, all the officials, all the warriors, ten thousand captives, all the artisans and the smiths; no one remained except the poorest people of the land.(K) 15 He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the elite of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.(L) 16 The king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, seven thousand, the artisans and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war.(M) 17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(N)
Zedekiah Reigns over Judah
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.(O) 19 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done.(P) 20 Indeed, Jerusalem and Judah so angered the Lord that he expelled them from his presence.
The Fall and Captivity of Judah
Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.(Q) 25 1
8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.(W) 9 He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.(X) 10 All the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.(Y) 11 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon—all the rest of the multitude.(Z) 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil.(AA)
13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, as well as the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon.(AB) 14 They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the dishes for incense, and all the bronze vessels used in the temple service,(AC) 15 as well as the firepans and the basins. What was made of gold the captain of the guard took away for the gold and what was made of silver for the silver. 16 As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weighing.(AD) 17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and on it was a bronze capital; the height of the capital was three cubits; latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were on the capital all around. The second pillar had the same, with the latticework.(AE)
18 The captain of the guard took the chief priest Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and the three guardians of the threshold;(AF) 19 from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the soldiers and five men of the king’s council who were found in the city; the secretary who was 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 city. 20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 The king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile out of its land.(AG)
Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah
22 He appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan as governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had left.(AH) 23 Now when all the captains of the forces and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite.(AI) 24 Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials; live in the land, serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” 25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men; they struck down Gedaliah so that he died, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.(AJ) 26 Then all the people, high and low,[d] and the captains of the forces set out and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.(AK)
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, King Evil-merodach of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison;(AL) 28 he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the other seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes. Every day of his life he dined regularly in the king’s presence.(AM) 30 For his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, a portion every day, as long as he lived.
2 Kings 24-25
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
24 In his days Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up, and Joakim became his servant three years: then again he rebelled against him.
2 And the Lord sent against him the rovers of the Chaldees, and the rovers of Syria, and the rovers of Moab, and the rovers of the children of Ammon: and he sent them against Juda, to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by his servants the prophets.
3 And this came by the word of the Lord against Juda, to remove them from before him for all the sins of Manasses which he did.
4 And for the innocent blood that he shed, filling Jerusalem with innocent blood: and therefore the Lord would not be appeased.
5 But the rest of the acts of Joakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? And Joakim slept with his fathers:
6 And Joachin his son reigned in his stead.
7 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his own country: for the king of Babylon had taken all that had belonged to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt, unto the river Euphrates.
8 Joachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, a and he reigned three months in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Nohesta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
9 And he did evil before the Lord, according to all that his father had done.
10 At that time the servants of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was surrounded with their forts.
11 And Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came to the city with his servants to assault it.
12 And Joachin king of Juda went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother, and his servants, and his nobles, and his eunuchs: and the king of Babylon received him in the eighth year of his reign.
13 And he brought out from thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house: and he cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord.
14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the valiant men of the army, to the number of ten thousand into captivity: and every artificer and smith: and none were left, but the poor sort of the people of the land.
15 And he carried away Joachin into Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his eunuchs: and the judges of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem into Babylon.
16 And all the strong men, seven thousand, and the artificers, and the smiths a thousand, all that were valiant men and fit for war: and the king of Babylon led them captives into Babylon.
17 And he appointed Matthanias his uncle in his stead: and called his name Sedecias.
18 Sedecias was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Amital, the daughter of Jeremias of Lobna.
19 And he did evil before the Lord, according to all that Joakim had done.
20 For the Lord was angry against Jerusalem and against Juda, till he cast them out from his face: and Sedecias revolted from the king of Babylon.
25 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came, he and all his army against Jerusalem: and they surrounded it: and raised works round about it.
2 And the city was shut up and besieged till the eleventh year of king Sedecias,
3 The ninth day of the month: and a famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
4 And a breach was made into the city: and all the men of war fled in the night between the two walls by the king's garden, (now the Chaldees besieged the city round about,) and Sedecias fled by the way that leadeth to the plains of the wilderness.
5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all the warriors that were with him were scattered, and left him:
6 So they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Reblatha, and he gave judgment upon him.
7 And he slew the sons of Sedecias before his face, and he put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and brought him to Babylon.
8 In the fifth month, the seventh day of the month, that is, the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, came Nabuzardan commander of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem.
9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every house he burnt with fire.
10 And all the army of the Chaldees, which was with the commander of the troops, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
11 And Nabuzardan the commander of the army, carried away the rest of the people that remained in the city, and the fugitives that had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people.
12 But of the poor of the land he left some dressers of vines and husbandmen.
13 And the pillars of brass that were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldees broke in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.
14 They took away also the pots of brass, and the mazers, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.
15 Moreover also the censers, and the bowls, such as were of gold in gold, and such as were of silver in silver, the general of the army took away.
16 That is, two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made in the temple of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
17 One pillar was eighteen cubits high, and the chapiter of brass which was upon it was three cubits high: and the network, and the pomegranates that were upon the chapiter of the pillar, were all of brass: and the second pillar had the like adorning.
18 And the general of the army took Seraias the chief priest, and Sophonias the second priest, and three doorkeepers.
19 And out of the city one eunuch, who was captain over the men of war: and five men of them that had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher the captain of the army who exercised the young soldiers of the people of the land: and threescore men of the common people, who were found in the city.
20 These Nabuzardan the general of the army took away, and carried them to the king of Babylon to Reblatha.
21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Reblatha in the land of Emath: so Juda was carried away out of their land.
22 But over the people that remained in the land of Juda, which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had left, he gave the government to Godolias the son of Ahicam the son of Saphan.
23 And when all the captains of the soldiers had heard this, they and the men that were with them, to wit, that the king of Babylon had made Godolias governor, they came to Godolias to Maspha, Ismael the son of Nathanias, and Johanan the son of Caree, and Saraia the son of Thanehumeth the Netophathite, and Jezonias the son of Maachathi, they and their men.
24 And Godolias swore to them and to their men, saying: Be not afraid to serve the Chaldees: stay in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ismael the son of Nathanias, the son of Elisama of the seed royal came, and ten men with him: and smote Godolias so that he died: and also the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him in Maspha.
26 And all the people both little and great, and the captains of the soldiers, rising up went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldees.
27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Joachin king of Juda, in the twelfth month the seven and twentieth day of the month: Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Joachin king of Juda out of prison.
28 And he spoke kindly to him: and he set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon.
29 And he changed his garments which he had in prison, and he ate bread always before him, all the days of his life.
30 And he appointed him a continual allowance, which was also given him by the king day by day, all the days of his life.
2 Kings 24-25
The Message
24 It was during his reign that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the country. Jehoiakim became his puppet. But after three years he had had enough and revolted.
2-4 God dispatched a succession of raiding bands against him: Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite. The strategy was to destroy Judah. Through the preaching of his servants and prophets, God had said he would do this, and now he was doing it. None of this was by chance—it was God’s judgment as he turned his back on Judah because of the enormity of the sins of Manasseh—Manasseh, the killer-king, who made the Jerusalem streets flow with the innocent blood of his victims. God wasn’t about to overlook such crimes.
5-6 The rest of the life and times of Jehoiakim is written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. Jehoiakim died and was buried with his ancestors. His son Jehoiachin became the next king.
7 The threat from Egypt was now over—no more invasions by the king of Egypt—for by this time the king of Babylon had captured all the land between the Brook of Egypt and the Euphrates River, land formerly controlled by the king of Egypt.
Jehoiachin of Judah
8-9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king. His rule in Jerusalem lasted only three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem. In God’s opinion he also was an evil king, no different from his father.
10-12 The next thing to happen was that the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and put it under siege. While his officers were laying siege to the city, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon paid a personal visit. And Jehoiachin king of Judah, along with his mother, officers, advisors, and government leaders, surrendered.
12-14 In the eighth year of his reign Jehoiachin was taken prisoner by the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar emptied the treasuries of both The Temple of God and the royal palace and confiscated all the gold furnishings that Solomon king of Israel had made for The Temple of God. This should have been no surprise—God had said it would happen. And then he emptied Jerusalem of people—all its leaders and soldiers, all its craftsmen and artisans. He took them into exile, something like ten thousand of them! The only ones he left were the very poor.
15-16 He took Jehoiachin into exile to Babylon. With him he took the king’s mother, his wives, his chief officers, the community leaders, anyone who was anybody—in round numbers, seven thousand soldiers plus another thousand or so craftsmen and artisans, all herded off into exile in Babylon.
17 Then the king of Babylon made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, his puppet king, but changed his name to Zedekiah.
Zedekiah of Judah
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he started out as king. He was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah. Her hometown was Libnah.
19 As far as God was concerned Zedekiah was just one more evil king, a carbon copy of Jehoiakim.
20 The source of all this doom to Jerusalem and Judah was God’s anger—God turned his back on them as an act of judgment. And then Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.
25 1-7 The revolt dates from the ninth year and tenth month of Zedekiah’s reign. Nebuchadnezzar set out for Jerusalem immediately with a full army. He set up camp and sealed off the city by building siege mounds around it. The city was under siege for nineteen months (until the eleventh year of Zedekiah). By the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, on the ninth day of the month, the famine was so bad that there wasn’t so much as a crumb of bread for anyone. Then there was a breakthrough. At night, under cover of darkness, the entire army escaped through an opening in the wall (it was the gate between the two walls above the King’s Garden). They slipped through the lines of the Babylonians who surrounded the city and headed for the Jordan on the Arabah Valley road. But the Babylonians were in pursuit of the king and they caught up with him in the Plains of Jericho. By then Zedekiah’s army had deserted and was scattered. The Babylonians took Zedekiah prisoner and marched him off to the king of Babylon at Riblah, then tried and sentenced him on the spot. Zedekiah’s sons were executed right before his eyes; the summary murder of his sons was the last thing he saw, for they then blinded him. Securely handcuffed, he was hauled off to Babylon.
8-12 In the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, on the seventh day of the fifth month, Nebuzaradan, the king of Babylon’s chief deputy, arrived in Jerusalem. He burned The Temple of God to the ground, went on to the royal palace, and then finished off the city—burned the whole place down. He put the Babylonian troops he had with him to work knocking down the city walls. Finally, he rounded up everyone left in the city, including those who had earlier deserted to the king of Babylon, and took them off into exile. He left a few poor dirt farmers behind to tend the vineyards and what was left of the fields.
13-15 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the bronze washstands, and the huge bronze basin (the Sea) that were in The Temple of God and hauled the bronze off to Babylon. They also took the various bronze-crafted liturgical accessories used in the services of Temple worship, as well as the gold and silver censers and sprinkling bowls. The king’s deputy didn’t miss a thing—he took every scrap of precious metal he could find.
16-17 The amount of bronze they got from the two pillars, the Sea, and all the washstands that Solomon had made for The Temple of God was enormous—they couldn’t weigh it all! Each pillar stood twenty-seven feet high, plus another four and a half feet for an ornate capital of bronze filigree and decorative fruit.
18-21 The king’s deputy took a number of special prisoners: Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the associate priest, three wardens, the chief remaining army officer, five of the king’s counselors, the accountant, the chief recruiting officer for the army, and sixty men of standing from among the people. Nebuzaradan the king’s deputy marched them all off to the king of Babylon at Riblah. And there at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon killed the lot of them in cold blood.
Judah went into exile, orphaned from her land.
22-23 Regarding the common people who were left behind in Judah, this: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as their governor. When veteran army officers among the people heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. Among them were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, and some of their followers.
24 Gedaliah assured the officers and their men, giving them his word, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Go back to your farms and families and respect the king of Babylon. Trust me, everything is going to be all right.”
25 Some time later—it was in the seventh month—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama (he had royal blood in him), came back with ten men and killed Gedaliah, the traitor Jews, and the Babylonian officials who were stationed at Mizpah—a bloody massacre.
26 But then, afraid of what the Babylonians would do, they all took off for Egypt, leaders and people, small and great.
27-30 When Jehoiachin king of Judah had been in exile for thirty-seven years, Evil-Merodach became king in Babylon and let Jehoiachin out of prison. This release took place on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. The king treated him most courteously and gave him preferential treatment beyond anything experienced by the other political prisoners held in Babylon. Jehoiachin took off his prison garb and for the rest of his life ate his meals in company with the king. The king provided everything he needed to live comfortably.
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