Jeremiah 52:12-23
New English Translation
12 On the tenth[a] day of the fifth month,[b] in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard[c] who served[d] 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,[e] 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[f] left behind some of the poor[g] 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.”[h] They took all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the pots, shovels,[i] trimming shears,[j] basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.[k] 19 The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers,[l] basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.[m] 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[n]) was too heavy to be weighed. 21 Each of the pillars was about 27 feet[o] high, about 18 feet[p] in circumference, three inches[q] thick, and hollow. 22 The bronze top of one pillar was about 7½ feet[r] 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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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 52:12-23
New Living Translation
The Temple Destroyed
12 On August 17 of that year,[a] which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. 13 He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings[b] in the city. 14 Then he supervised the entire Babylonian[c] army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. 15 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took as exiles some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the defectors who had declared their allegiance to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the poorest people to stay behind to care for the vineyards and fields.
17 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars in front of the Lord’s Temple, the bronze water carts, and the great bronze basin called the Sea, and they carried all the bronze away to Babylon. 18 They also took all the ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, basins, dishes, and all the other bronze articles used for making sacrifices at the Temple. 19 The captain of the guard also took the small bowls, incense burners, basins, pots, lampstands, ladles, bowls used for liquid offerings, and all the other articles made of pure gold or silver.
20 The weight of the bronze from the two pillars, the Sea with the twelve bronze oxen beneath it, and the water carts was too great to be measured. These things had been made for the Lord’s Temple in the days of King Solomon. 21 Each of the pillars was 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference.[d] They were hollow, with walls 3 inches thick.[e] 22 The bronze capital on top of each pillar was 7 1⁄2 feet[f] high and was decorated with a network of bronze pomegranates all the way around. 23 There were 96 pomegranates on the sides, and a total of 100 pomegranates on the network around the top.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 52:12 Hebrew On the tenth day of the fifth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was August 17, 586 B.c.; also see note on 52:4a.
- 52:13 Or destroyed the houses of all the important people.
- 52:14 Or Chaldean.
- 52:21a Hebrew 18 cubits [8.3 meters] tall and 12 cubits [5.5 meters] in circumference.
- 52:21b Hebrew 4 fingers thick [8 centimeters].
- 52:22 Hebrew 5 cubits [2.3 meters].
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