Zedekiah Rules in Judah^(A)

¹¹ Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² He practiced what the Lord his God considered to be evil and never humbled himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the Lord. ¹³ Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance in the name of^[a] God. Instead, he stiffened his resolve,^[b] and hardened his heart, and would not return to the Lord God of Israel.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Third Capture of Jerusalem^(B)

¹⁴ Meanwhile, all the officials who supervised the priests and the people remained unfaithful, following the detestable example of the surrounding nations. They polluted the Lord’s Temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem.