Jeremiah 52
New English Translation
The Fall of Jerusalem
52 [a] Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal[b] daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 2 He did what displeased the Lord[c] just as Jehoiakim had done.
3 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger when he drove them out of his sight.[d] Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it.[e] They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah.[f] 5 The city remained under siege until Zedekiah’s eleventh year. 6 By the ninth day of the fourth month[g] the famine in the city was so severe the residents[h] had no food. 7 They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden.[i] (The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the rift valley.[j] 8 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains[k] of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him. 9 They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah[l] in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there. 10 The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah. 11 He had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains.[m] Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died.
12 On the tenth[n] day of the fifth month,[o] in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard[p] who served[q] the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. 13 He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. 14 The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor,[r] the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But he[s] left behind some of the poor[t] and gave them fields and vineyards.
17 The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called “The Sea.”[u] They took all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the pots, shovels,[v] trimming shears,[w] basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.[x] 19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers,[y] basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.[z] 20 The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands[aa]) was too heavy to be weighed. 21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet[ab] high, about 18 feet[ac] in circumference, three inches[ad] thick, and hollow. 22 The bronze top of one pillar was about 7½ feet[ae] high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. 23 There were 96 pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were 100 pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.
24 The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.[af] 25 From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens[ag] for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city. 26 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed[ah] at Riblah in the territory of Hamath.
So Judah was taken into exile away from its land. 28 Here is the official record of the number of people[ai] Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year,[aj] 3,023 Jews; 29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,[ak] 832 people from Jerusalem; 30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year,[al] Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all, 4,600 people went into exile.
Jehoiachin in Exile
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth[am] day of the twelfth month,[an] King Evil Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, pardoned[ao] King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than[ap] the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 Jehoiachin[aq] took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 34 He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 52:1 sn This final chapter does not mention Jeremiah, but its description of the downfall of Jerusalem and exile of the people validates the prophet’s ministry.
- Jeremiah 52:1 tn Some textual witnesses support the Kethib (consonantal text) in reading “Hamital.”
- Jeremiah 52:2 tn Heb “what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 52:3 tn Heb “Surely (or “for”) because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until he drove them out from upon his face.” For the phrase “drive out of his sight,” see 7:15.
- Jeremiah 52:4 tn Or “against it.”
- Jeremiah 52:4 sn This would have been January 15, 588 b.c. The reckoning is based on the calendar that begins the year in the spring (Nisan = March/April).
- Jeremiah 52:6 sn According to modern reckoning that would have been July 18, 586 b.c. The siege thus lasted almost a full eighteen months.
- Jeremiah 52:6 tn Heb “the people of the land.”
- Jeremiah 52:7 sn The king’s garden is mentioned again in Neh 3:15 in conjunction with the pool of Siloam and the stairs that go down from the City of David. This would have been in the southern part of the city near the Tyropean Valley, which agrees with the reference to the “two walls,” which were probably the walls on the eastern and western hills.
- Jeremiah 52:7 sn The rift valley (עֲרָבָה, ʿaravah) extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. In this context the portion that they head to is the Jordan Valley near Jericho, intending to escape across the river to Moab or Ammon. It appears from 40:14 and 41:15 that the Ammonites were known to harbor fugitives from the Babylonians.
- Jeremiah 52:8 tn See the note at Jer 39:5.
- Jeremiah 52:9 sn Riblah was a strategic town on the Orontes River in Syria. It was at a crossing of the major roads between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Pharaoh Necho had earlier received Jehoahaz there and put him in chains (2 Kgs 23:33) prior to taking him captive to Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar had set up his base camp for conducting his campaigns against the Palestinian states there and was now sitting in judgment on prisoners brought to him.
- Jeremiah 52:11 tn Heb “fetters of bronze.” The more generic “chains” is used in the translation because “fetters” is a word unfamiliar to most modern readers.
- Jeremiah 52:12 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:8 has “seventh.”
- Jeremiah 52:12 sn The tenth day of the month would have been August 17, 586 b.c. in modern reckoning.
- Jeremiah 52:12 tn For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2 and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.
- Jeremiah 52:12 tn Heb “stood before.”
- Jeremiah 52:15 tn Heb “poor of the people.”
- Jeremiah 52:16 tn Heb “Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding, and modern English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.
- Jeremiah 52:16 tn Heb “poor of the land.”
- Jeremiah 52:17 sn For discussion of the items listed here, see the study notes at Jer 27:19.
- Jeremiah 52:18 sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.
- Jeremiah 52:18 sn These trimming shears were used to trim the wicks of the lamps.
- Jeremiah 52:18 tn Heb “with which they served (or “fulfilled their duty”).”
- Jeremiah 52:19 sn The censers held the embers used for the incense offerings.
- Jeremiah 52:19 sn These vessels were used for drink offerings.
- Jeremiah 52:20 tc The translation follows the LXX (Greek version), which reflects the description in 1 Kgs 7:25-26. The Hebrew text reads, “the twelve bronze bulls under the movable stands.” הַיָּם (hayyam, “The Sea”) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton; note that the following form, הַמְּכֹנוֹת (hammekhonot, “the movable stands”), also begins with the article.
- Jeremiah 52:21 tn Heb “18 cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
- Jeremiah 52:21 tn Heb “12 cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
- Jeremiah 52:21 tn Heb “four fingers.”
- Jeremiah 52:22 tn Heb “5 cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
- Jeremiah 52:24 sn See the note at Jer 35:4.
- Jeremiah 52:25 tn Heb “men, from the people of the land” (also later in this verse).
- Jeremiah 52:27 tn Heb “struck them down and killed them.”
- Jeremiah 52:28 tn Heb “these are the people.”
- Jeremiah 52:28 sn This would be 597 b.c.
- Jeremiah 52:29 sn This would be 586 b.c.
- Jeremiah 52:30 sn This would be 581 b.c.
- Jeremiah 52:31 sn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:28 has “twenty-seventh.”
- Jeremiah 52:31 sn The twenty-fifth day would be March 20, 561 b.c. in modern reckoning.
- Jeremiah 52:31 tn Heb “lifted up the head of.”
- Jeremiah 52:32 tn Heb “made his throne above the throne of.”
- Jeremiah 52:33 tn The subject is unstated in the Hebrew text, but Jehoiachin is clearly the subject of the following verb.
Jeremiah 52
1599 Geneva Bible
52 4 Jerusalem is taken. 10 Zedekiah’s sons are killed before his face, and his eyes put out. 13 The city is burned. 31 Jehoiachin is brought forth of prison, and fed like a king.
1 Zedekiah (A)was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2 And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
3 [a]Doubtless because the wrath of the Lord was against Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, therefore Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babel.
4 (B)But in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month the tenth day of the month came Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel, he and all his host against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.
5 So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of the king Zedekiah.
6 Now in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no more bread for the people of the land.
7 Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city by night, by the [b]way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the King’s garden: (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about) and they went by the way of the wilderness.
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and took Zedekiah in the desert of Jericho, and all the host was scattered from him.
9 Then they took the King and carried him up unto the king of Babel to Riblah in the land of Hamath, [c]where he gave judgment upon him.
10 And the king of Babel slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and the king of Babel bound him in chains, and carried him to Babel, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
12 Now in the fifth month in the [d]tenth day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of the king Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel) came Nebuzaradan chief steward which [e]stood before the king of Babel in Jerusalem,
13 And burnt the House of the Lord, and the King’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the great houses burnt he with fire.
14 And all the army of the Chaldeans that were with the chief steward, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
15 Then Nebuzaradan the chief steward carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that were fled, and fallen to the King of Babel, with the rest of the multitude.
16 But Nebuzaradan the chief steward left certain of the poor of the land, to dress the vines, and to till the land.
17 Also the [f]pillars of brass that were in the House of the Lord, and the bases, and the brazen Sea, that was in the House of the Lord, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babel.
18 The pots also and the [g]besoms, and the instruments of music, and the basins, and the incense dishes, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
19 And the bowls, and the ashpans, and the basins, and the pots, and the candlesticks, and the incense dishes, and the cups, and all that was of gold, and that was of silver, took the chief steward away,
20 With the two pillars, one Sea, and twelve brazen bulls, that were under the bases, which King Solomon had made in the House of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without [h]weight.
21 And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a thread of twelve cubits did compass it, and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.
22 And a chapiter of brass was upon it, and the height of one chapiter was five cubits with network, and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass: the second pillar also, and the pomegranates were like unto these.
23 And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side: and all the pomegranates upon the network were an [i]hundred round about.
24 And the chief steward took Seraiah the chief Priest, and Zephaniah [j]the second Priest, and the three keepers of the door.
25 He took also out of the city an Eunuch, which had the oversight of the men of war, and [k]seven men that were in the King’s presence, which were found in the city, and Sopher captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.
26 Nebuzaradan the chief steward took them, and brought them to the King of Babel to Riblah.
27 And the king of Babel smote them, and slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath: thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.
28 ¶ This is the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive, in the [l]seventh year, even three thousand Jews, and three and twenty.
29 In the [m]eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two [n]persons.
30 In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the chief steward carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.
31 And in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin King of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, Evil-Merodach king of Babel, in the first year of his reign, [o]lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him out of prison,
32 And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the Kings, that were with him in Babel,
33 And changed his prison [p]garments, and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.
34 His portion was a [q]continual portion given him of the king of Babel, every day a certain, all the days of his life until he died.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 52:3 So the Lord punished sin by sin, and gave him up to his rebellious heart, till he had brought the enemy upon him to lead him away and his people.
- Jeremiah 52:7 Read Jer. 39:4.
- Jeremiah 52:9 Read 2 Kings 25:6; Jer. 39:5.
- Jeremiah 52:12 In 2 Kings 25:8, it is called the seventh day, because the fire began then, and so continued to the tenth.
- Jeremiah 52:12 That is, which was his servant, as 2 Kings 25:8.
- Jeremiah 52:17 Of these pillars, read 1 Kings 7:15.
- Jeremiah 52:18 Which were also made of brass, as 1 Kings 7:45.
- Jeremiah 52:20 It was so much in quantity.
- Jeremiah 52:23 But because of the roundness, no more could be seen but ninety and six.
- Jeremiah 52:24 Which served in the high Priest’s stead, if he had any necessary impediment.
- Jeremiah 52:25 In 2 Kings 25:19, is read but of five: those were the most excellent, and the other two, which were not so noble, are not there mentioned with them.
- Jeremiah 52:28 Which was the latter end of the seventh year of his reign, and the beginning of the eighth.
- Jeremiah 52:29 In the latter end also of that year, and the beginning of the nineteenth.
- Jeremiah 52:29 Hebrew, souls.
- Jeremiah 52:31 That is, restored him to liberty and honor.
- Jeremiah 52:33 And gave him princely apparel.
- Jeremiah 52:34 That is he had allowance in the court, and thus at length he had rest and quietness because he obeyed Jeremiah the Prophet, whereas the others were cruelly ordered, that would not obey him.
Jeremiah 52
New King James Version
The Fall of Jerusalem Reviewed(A)
52 Zedekiah was (B)twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (C)Libnah. 2 He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah (D)rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 Now it came to pass in the (E)ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 5 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around. And they went by way of the [a]plain.
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 9 (F)So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he pronounced judgment on him. 10 (G)Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 He also (H)put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in [b]bronze fetters, took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
The Temple and City Plundered and Burned
12 (I)Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month ((J)which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), (K)Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15 (L)Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poor people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
17 (M)The (N)bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away (O)the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the [c]bowls, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 19 The basins, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the cups, whatever was solid gold and whatever was solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 20 The two pillars, one Sea, the twelve bronze bulls which were under it, and the carts, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—(P)the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 21 Now concerning the (Q)pillars: the height of one pillar was eighteen [d]cubits, a measuring line of twelve cubits could measure its circumference, and its thickness was [e]four fingers; it was hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network and pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar, with pomegranates was the same. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; (R)all the pomegranates, all around on the network, were one hundred.
The People Taken Captive to Babylonia
24 (S)The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, (T)Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 25 He also took out of the city an [f]officer who had charge of the men of war, seven men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the principal scribe 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 these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.
28 (U)These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: (V)in the seventh year, (W)three thousand and twenty-three Jews; 29 (X)in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred and forty-five persons. All the persons were four thousand six hundred.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison(Y)
31 (Z)Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that [g]Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, (AA)lifted[h] up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [i]Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, (AB)and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 34 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 52:7 Or Arabah; the Jordan Valley
- Jeremiah 52:11 shackles
- Jeremiah 52:18 basins
- Jeremiah 52:21 18 inches each
- Jeremiah 52:21 3 inches
- Jeremiah 52:25 Lit. eunuch
- Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk; lit. The Man of Marduk
- Jeremiah 52:31 Showed favor to
- Jeremiah 52:33 Lit. he
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