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The Anger of Yahweh Towards Judah

52 (A)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [a](B)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (C)Libnah. And he did (D)what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that (E)Jehoiakim had done. For through the (F)anger of Yahweh this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (G)rebelled against the king of Babylon. (H)Now it happened 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 military force, against Jerusalem, and they camped against it and built a (I)siege wall all around [b]it. (J)So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the (K)fourth month, the (L)famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city was (M)breached, and all the (N)men 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 [c](O)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (P)overtook Zedekiah in the [d]plains of Jericho, and all his military force was scattered from him. Then they seized the king and (Q)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (R)Riblah in the land of (S)Hamath, and he [e]spoke his judgment on him. 10 Then the king of Babylon (T)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the [f]princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (U)blinded 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.

12 (V)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (W)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (X)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (Y)burned the house of Yahweh, the (Z)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So all the military force of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (AA)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (AB)took away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the [g](AC)defectors who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the artisans. 16 But (AD)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had some of the poorest of the land remain to be vinedressers and [h]plowmen.

17 Now the bronze (AE)pillars which belonged to the house of Yahweh and the (AF)stands and the bronze (AG)sea, which were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans shattered and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the (AH)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls, the [i]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used to minister. 19 And the captain of the guard also took away the (AI)cups, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the [j]pans, and the offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [k]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh—the bronze of all these vessels was (AJ)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (AK)height of each pillar was [l]eighteen cubits, and [m]it was twelve cubits in (AL)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Now a (AM)capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and (AN)pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [n]exposed pomegranates; all (AO)the pomegranates numbered one hundred on the network all around.

24 Then the captain of the guard took (AP)Seraiah the chief priest and (AQ)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [o](AR)doorkeepers of the temple. 25 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven [p]of the (AS)king’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. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and (AT)led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (AU)struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah (AV)went into exile from its land.

28 These are the people whom (AW)Nebuchadnezzar took away into exile: in the [q]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (AX)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took away into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.

31 (AY)Now it happened 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 [r]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, (AZ)lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison; 32 (BA)and he spoke to him good words, and he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [s]Jehoiachin (BB)changed his prison clothes and [t](BC)had his meals in [u]the king’s presence continually all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, a (BD)continual allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:1 Or Hamital
  2. Jeremiah 52:4 Lit against it
  3. Jeremiah 52:7 Lit against the city on every side
  4. Jeremiah 52:8 Same root as Arabah in 52:7
  5. Jeremiah 52:9 Lit spoke judgments with
  6. Jeremiah 52:10 Or commanders
  7. Jeremiah 52:15 Lit fallers who had fallen
  8. Jeremiah 52:16 Or unpaid laborers
  9. Jeremiah 52:18 Or spoons for incense
  10. Jeremiah 52:19 Or spoons for incense
  11. Jeremiah 52:20 As in Gr and Syr; Heb omits the sea
  12. Jeremiah 52:21 Approx. 27 ft. high and 18 ft. in circumference or 8 m and 5.4 m
  13. Jeremiah 52:21 Lit a line of 12 cubits would encircle it
  14. Jeremiah 52:23 Lit windward
  15. Jeremiah 52:24 Lit keepers of the door
  16. Jeremiah 52:25 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
  17. Jeremiah 52:28 Or possibly seventeenth
  18. Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk (“Man of Marduk”)
  19. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit he
  20. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit ate
  21. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit his presence

Rule of Zedekiah and the fall of Jerusalem

52 Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal; she was a daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. He did evil in the Lord’s eyes just as Jehoiachin had done. It was because the Lord was angry against Jerusalem and Judah that he thrust them out of his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

In the ninth year, the tenth month, and the tenth day of the month, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem with all of his army. He camped beside the city and built a siege wall around it. The city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city reached a point that no food remained for the people. The enemy entered the city, and all the soldiers fled by night along the gate between the two walls by the royal gardens. So the Babylonians surrounded the city while the soldiers fled toward the desert plain. However, the Babylonian army chased down Zedekiah and caught him in the plains of Jericho. (His entire army had fled from him.) They arrested the king and brought him before the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And he pronounced sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s children before his very own eyes, and he slaughtered all Judah’s officers at Riblah. 11 Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in chains. The king of Babylon dragged him off to Babylon and put him in prison, where he remained until he died.

12 In the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan commander of the guard came to Jerusalem on behalf of his king. 13 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the important buildings. 14 The entire Babylonian army and the commander of the guard destroyed the walls surrounding Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan commander of the guard deported some of the poorest people, the rest of the people left in the city, a few skilled workers, and those who had joined the king of Babylon. 16 But Nebuzaradan commander of the guard left some of the poor to tend the vineyards and till the land.

17 The Babylonians broke apart the bronze columns, the stands, and the bronze Sea in the Lord’s temple. They carried the bronze to Babylon. 18 They took the pots, the shovels, the wick trimmers, the sprinkling bowls, the incense dishes, and all the bronze equipment used for the temple services. 19 The commander of the guard took whatever gold or silver he could find as well: the small bowls, the fire pans, the sprinkling bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the basins, and the offering bowls. 20 There was too much bronze to be weighed: two columns, the bronze Sea and the twelve bronze bulls that held it up, and the stands, all of which Solomon had made for the Lord’s temple. 21 Each column was about twenty-seven feet high and eighteen feet around. They were hollow, but the bronze was about three inches thick. 22 Each had a capital of bronze above it that towered seven and a half feet high, and each had an ornate design of bronze pomegranates around it. The second column was the same, also with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides, a total of one hundred pomegranates around the ornate design.

24 The commander of the guard also took Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the deputy priest, and the three doorkeepers. 25 From the city, he took a eunuch who was appointed over the army and the seven royal advisors who remained in the city. He also took the scribe of the commander of the army in charge of military conscription and sixty military personnel[a] who were found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And Judah went away from its land into exile.

28 This is the number of people whom Nebuchadnezzar deported: In the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans. 29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, he took 832 people from Jerusalem. 30 In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, he dispatched Nebuzaradan commander of the guard, who deported 745 Judeans. Altogether, 4,600 were taken captive.

31 Judah’s King Jehoiachin had been in exile for thirty-seven years when Awil-merodach[b] became king in Babylon. He took note of Jehoiachin’s plight and released him from prison on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month[c] of that very year. 32 Awil-merodach treated Jehoiachin kindly and gave him a throne higher than those of the other kings with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin discarded his prison clothes and ate his meals at the king’s table for the rest of his life. 34 The Babylonian king provided him daily provisions for the rest of his life, right up until he died.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:25 Or from the people of the land
  2. Jeremiah 52:31 Or Evil-merodach
  3. Jeremiah 52:31 February–March, Adar