Jeremiah 52

The Fall of Jerusalem

11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was 23Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of 4Libnah. 2He did 5evil in the sight of the Lord like all that 6Jehoiakim had done. 3For through the 7anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah 8rebelled against the king of Babylon. 49Now 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 10siege wall all around 11it. 512So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6On the ninth day of the 13fourth month the 14famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7Then the city was 15broken into, and all the 16men 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 1718all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and 19overtook Zedekiah in the 20plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9Then they captured the king and 21brought him up to the king of Babylon at 22Riblah in the land of 23Hamath, and he 24passed sentence on him. 10The king of Babylon 25slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the 26princes of Judah in Riblah. 11Then he 27blinded 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.

1228Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the 29nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, 30Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, 31who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13He 32burned the house of the Lord, the 33king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard 34broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard 35carried away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the 3637deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the artisans. 16But 38Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and 39plowmen.

17Now the bronze 40pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the 41stands and the bronze 42sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18They also took away the 43pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the 44pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19The captain of the guard also took away the 45bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the 46pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under 47the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord--the bronze of all these vessels was 48beyond weight. 21As for the pillars, the 49height of each pillar was eighteen 50cubits, and 51it was twelve cubits in 52circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22Now a 53capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and 54pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23There were ninety-six 55exposed pomegranates; all 56the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the network all around.

24Then the captain of the guard took 57Seraiah the chief priest and 58Zephaniah the second priest, with the three 5960officers of the temple. 25He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven 61of the 62king’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. 26Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and 63brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27Then the king of Babylon 64struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was 65led away into exile from its land.

28These are the people whom 66Nebuchadnezzar carried away into exile: in the 67seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, 68Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.

3169Now it came about 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 70Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, 7172showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 3273Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So 74Jehoiachin 75changed his prison clothes, and 7677had his meals in 78the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34For his allowance, a 79regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.