In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem with his entire army. They laid siege to the city and built a siege wall against it all around. The city was under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.

By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that the common people had no food. Then the city was broken into, and all the warriors fled. They left the city at night by way of the city gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city. They made their way along the route to the Arabah.(A) The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. Zedekiah’s entire army left him and scattered. The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.

10 At Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and he also slaughtered the Judean commanders. 11 Then he blinded Zedekiah and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Babylon brought Zedekiah to Babylon, where he kept him in custody[a] until his dying day.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 52:11 Lit in a house of guards

(A)Now it came about 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 army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a [a](B)bulwark all around [b]it. (C)So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the (D)fourth month the (E)famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city was (F)breached, and all the (G)warriors fled and left 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](H)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (I)overtook Zedekiah in the [d]desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king and (J)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (K)Riblah in the land of (L)Hamath, and he [e]passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon (M)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (N)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 52:4 I.e., a defensive wall
  2. Jeremiah 52:4 Lit against it
  3. Jeremiah 52:7 Lit against the city on every side
  4. Jeremiah 52:8 Heb Arabah
  5. Jeremiah 52:9 Lit spoke judgments with