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52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah [not the prophet] of Libnah.(A)

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

For all this came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah because of the anger of the Lord, and [in the end] He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, [a]Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem; and they pitched against it and built moveable towers and siege mounds against it round about.(B)

So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.(C)

And in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine was so severe in the city that there was no bread for the people of the land.

Then the city [wall] was broken through, so that all the men of war might flee, and they went forth out of the city by night [as Ezekiel had foretold] by way of the gate between the two walls by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were round about the city. And they [the Jewish soldiers fled] by way of the Arabah (the Jordan Valley).(D)

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

Then they seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the [Syrian] land of Hamath [on the northern border of Israel], where he pronounced sentence upon him.

10 And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he slew also all the princes of Judah at Riblah.

11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with shackles and carried him to Babylon and put him in prison [b][mill] till the day of his death.(E)

12 Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, there came to Jerusalem Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, who stood and served before the king of Babylon.

13 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he consumed with fire.

14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls round about Jerusalem.

15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and those who were left in the city [at the time it was captured], along with those who went out to the king of Babylon [during the siege] and the remnant of the multitude [the country’s working people].

16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil.

17 Also the pillars of bronze that belonged to the house of the Lord, and the bronze bases or pedestals [which supported the ten basins] and the bronze Sea or huge laver that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke into pieces and carried all the bronze of them to Babylon.

18 The pots [for carrying away ashes] also and the shovels and the snuffers and the bowls and the spoons and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service they took away.

19 Also the small bowls and the firepans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the incense cups and the bowls for the drink offerings—whatever was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and whatever was of silver as silver.

20 The two pillars, one Sea or huge laver, and [c]twelve bronze bulls or oxen under the Sea, which King Solomon had made in the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these things was beyond weighing.

21 Concerning the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits (twenty-seven feet), and an ornamental molding of twelve cubits (eighteen feet) went around its circumference; it was four fingers thick, and it [the pillar] was hollow.

22 An upper part or capital of bronze was on top of it. The height of one capital was five cubits (seven and one-half feet), with a network and pomegranates around it, all of bronze. The second pillar also, with its pomegranates, was similar to these.

23 And there were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; and all the pomegranates upon the network were a hundred round about.

24 And the captain of the guard took [as prisoners] Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the door.

25 He took also out of the city a court officer who had been overseer of the soldiers, and seven men of them who were next to the king [as advisers] and saw his face, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the prince or 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 midst of the city.

26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

27 And the king of Babylon smote them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

28 This is the number of people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons;

30 In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the [Babylonian] guard carried away captive of the Jews 745 persons. All the persons were 4,600.

31 And in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin [also called Coniah and Jeconiah] king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah [and showed favor to him] and brought him out of prison.(F)

32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were [captives] with him in Babylon,

33 Jehoiachin put off his prison garments, and he dined regularly at the king’s table all the days of his life.

34 And his allowance, a continual one, was given him by the king of Babylon, a portion according to his requirements until the day of his death, [d]all the days of his life.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:4 See footnote on Jer. 21:2.
  2. Jeremiah 52:11 The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) renders this word “mill.” Hence it has been inferred that the Chaldeans ascribed to Zedekiah in his old age the same fate as that to which the Philistines assigned Samson (Judg. 16:21) (The Cambridge Bible).
  3. Jeremiah 52:20 King Ahaz had previously removed the twelve bronze bulls or oxen (I Kings 7:25) from under the big laver and had replaced them with a substructure of stone (II Kings 16:17), but obviously he had not put them beyond the reach of the Chaldeans when they set their minds to find them.
  4. Jeremiah 52:34 The latter of these clauses is probably an afterthought in order to prevent ending the book with the word “death.” The general object too of the paragraph [the last four verses] seems to have been to leave the reader with a parting ray of comfort and encouragement in the thought that even in exile the Lord remembered His people and softened the heart of the heathen tyrant toward David’s seed (The Cambridge Bible). Note also the contrast between Zedekiah, who remained in prison till the day he died (Jer. 52:11), and Jehoiachin, who was released from prison and treated well by the Babylonian kings till the day he died.

The Fall of Jerusalem

52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old[a] at his beginning to reign, and he reigned eleven years[b] in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh like all that Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger[c] of Yahweh this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until his casting them from his presence.[d] And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. And then[e] in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came against Jerusalem, he and all his army. And they laid siege to it, and built siege works[f] against it all around. So the city came under siege[g] until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine in the city became severe and there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city was breached, and all the soldiers[h] fled and went out from the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls that are at the garden of the king, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went in the direction of the Jordan Valley.[i] But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.[j] 10 And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 Then he made blind the eyes of Zedekiah, and they tied him up with bronze fetters, and the king of Babylon brought him to Babylon. And he put him in prison[k] until the day of his death.

12 Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard,[l] who stood before[m] the king of Babylon, entered into Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the temple[n] of Yahweh, and the palace[o] of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house he burned with fire. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard[p] broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard[q] deported some of the poor of the people, and the rest of the people who were left in the city, and the deserters who deserted to the king of Babylon, along with the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard[r] left some of the poor of the land to serve as vinedressers and farmers.

17 And the Chaldeans broke the pillars of bronze that were in the temple[s] of Yahweh, and the kettle stands and the sea of bronze that were in the temple[t] of Yahweh, and they carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 And they took with them the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the sprinkling bowls, and the pans, and all the vessels of bronze which were used in temple service. 19 And the captain of the guard[u] took the bowls, and the firepans, and the sprinkling bowls, and the pots, and the lampstands, and the pans, and the libation bowls, those made of solid gold[v] and those made of solid silver.[w] 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze oxen that were under the kettle stands which King Solomon had made for the temple[x] of Yahweh—there was not a weight for the bronze of all these vessels! 21 Now the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits,[y] and a thread of twelve cubits[z] surrounded it, and its thickness was four fingers, hollowed out. 22 And a capital upon it was bronze and the height of the one capital was five cubits, and latticework and pomegranates were on the capital on all sides, all of bronze. And like these was the second pillar with pomegranates. 23 And there were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides;[aa] all the pomegranates on the latticework on all sides were a hundred.

24 Then the captain of the guard[ab] took Seraiah the chief priest,[ac] and Zephaniah the second priest,[ad] and three keepers of the threshold. 25 And from the city he took one high official who was chief officer over the soldiers,[ae] and seven men of the king’s advisors[af] who were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander of the army who levied for military service the people of the land, and sixty men[ag] of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard[ah] took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah left from its land.

28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar deported: in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Judeans; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, eight hundred and thirty-two persons[ai] from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,[aj] deported seven hundred and forty-five Judean persons;[ak] there were four thousand six hundred persons[al] in all.

An Allowance for Jehoiachin

31 And then[am] in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach, the king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and brought him out from prison.[an] 32 Then he spoke with him kindly and gave his seat above the seats[ao] of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So he changed the garments of his imprisonment and he ate food before him[ap] continually all the days of his life. 34 And his allowance, a continual allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon on a daily basis[aq] all the days of his life up to the day of his death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:1 Literally “a son of twenty-one year”
  2. Jeremiah 52:1 Hebrew “year”
  3. Jeremiah 52:3 Literally “nose”
  4. Jeremiah 52:3 Literally “face”
  5. Jeremiah 52:4 Literally “And it was”
  6. Jeremiah 52:4 Literally “siege work”
  7. Jeremiah 52:5 Literally “into the siege”
  8. Jeremiah 52:7 Literally “the men of the battle”
  9. Jeremiah 52:7 Or “Arabah”
  10. Jeremiah 52:9 Literally “he spoke to him judgments”
  11. Jeremiah 52:11 Literally “the house of the watch”
  12. Jeremiah 52:12 Hebrew “guards”
  13. Jeremiah 52:12 Literally “to the face of”
  14. Jeremiah 52:13 Literally “house”
  15. Jeremiah 52:13 Or “house”
  16. Jeremiah 52:14 Hebrew “guards”
  17. Jeremiah 52:15 Hebrew “guards”
  18. Jeremiah 52:16 Hebrew “guards”
  19. Jeremiah 52:17 Literally “house”
  20. Jeremiah 52:17 Literally “house”
  21. Jeremiah 52:19 Hebrew “guards”
  22. Jeremiah 52:19 Literally “which gold gold”
  23. Jeremiah 52:19 Literally “which silver silver”
  24. Jeremiah 52:20 Literally “house”
  25. Jeremiah 52:21 Hebrew “cubit”
  26. Jeremiah 52:21 Hebrew “cubit”
  27. Jeremiah 52:23 Literally “breath”
  28. Jeremiah 52:24 Hebrew “guards”
  29. Jeremiah 52:24 Literally “the priest of the head”
  30. Jeremiah 52:24 Literally “the priest of the second”
  31. Jeremiah 52:25 Literally “the men of the battle”
  32. Jeremiah 52:25 Literally “those who see the face of the king”
  33. Jeremiah 52:25 Hebrew “man”
  34. Jeremiah 52:26 Hebrew “guards”
  35. Jeremiah 52:29 Hebrew “person”
  36. Jeremiah 52:30 Hebrew “guards”
  37. Jeremiah 52:30 Hebrew “person”
  38. Jeremiah 52:30 Hebrew “person”
  39. Jeremiah 52:31 Literally “and it was”
  40. Jeremiah 52:31 Literally “the house of the imprisonment”
  41. Jeremiah 52:32 Hebrew “seat”
  42. Jeremiah 52:33 Literally “to the face of him”
  43. Jeremiah 52:34 Literally “a matter of a day in its day”

The Fall of Jerusalem(A)(B)(C)

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

Now Zedekiah rebelled(I) against the king of Babylon.

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

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

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah(Q) in the land of Hamath,(R) where he pronounced sentence on him. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons(S) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.(T)

12 On the tenth day of the fifth(U) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan(V) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He set fire(W) to the temple(X) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses(Y) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 14 The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls(Z) around Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile(AA) some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen[d] and those who had deserted(AB) to the king of Babylon. 16 But Nebuzaradan left behind(AC) the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,(AD) the movable stands(AE) and the bronze Sea(AF) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.(AG) 18 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,(AH) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.(AI) 19 The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,(AJ) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,(AK) dishes(AL) and bowls used for drink offerings(AM)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.(AN)

20 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls(AO) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.(AP) 21 Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference[e]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.(AQ) 22 The bronze capital(AR) on top of one pillar was five cubits[f] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates(AS) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates(AT) above the surrounding network was a hundred.(AU)

24 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah(AV) the chief priest, Zephaniah(AW) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.(AX) 25 Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary(AY) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. 26 Nebuzaradan(AZ) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 There at Riblah,(BA) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.

So Judah went into captivity, away(BB) from her land. 28 This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:(BC)

in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;

29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,

832 people from Jerusalem;

30 in his twenty-third year,

745 Jews taken into exile(BD) by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.

There were 4,600 people in all.(BE)

Jehoiachin Released(BF)

31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin(BG) king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.(BH) 34 Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance(BI) as long as he lived, till the day of his death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:7 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 17
  2. Jeremiah 52:7 Or the Jordan Valley
  3. Jeremiah 52:8 Or Chaldean; also in verse 14
  4. Jeremiah 52:15 Or the populace
  5. Jeremiah 52:21 That is, about 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference or about 8.1 meters high and 5.4 meters in circumference
  6. Jeremiah 52:22 That is, about 7 1/2 feet or about 2.3 meters