Jeremiah 52

The Fall of Jerusalem

11Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for 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, in accordance with everything that 6Jehoiakim had done. 3For because of the 7anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah 8revolted 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 1011bulwark all around 12it. 513So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6On the ninth day of the 14fourth month the 15famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7Then the city was 16breached, and all the 17warriors 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 1819all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and 20overtook Zedekiah in the 21desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9Then they captured the king and 22brought him up to the king of Babylon at 23Riblah in the land of 24Hamath, and he 25passed sentence on him. 10And the king of Babylon 26slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11Then he 27blinded 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.

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, who 31was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13And he 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 the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard 34tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard 35took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the 36deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16But 37Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

17Now the bronze 38pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the 39stands and the bronze 4041sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18They also took the 42pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the 43pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19The captain of the guard also took the 44bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the 45pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20The two pillars, the one 46sea, 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 50eighteen cubits, and 51it was twelve cubits in 52circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22Also, a 53capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was 54five cubits, with latticework and 55pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23There were ninety-six 56exposed pomegranates; all 57the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.

24Then the captain of the guard took 58Seraiah the chief priest and 59Zephaniah the second priest, with the three 6061officers of the temple. 25He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven 62of the 63king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. 26Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and 64brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27Then the king of Babylon 65struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was 66led into exile from its land.

28These are the people whom 67Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the 68seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, 69Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.

3170Now 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 71Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, 7273showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 3274Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So 75Jehoiachin 76changed his prison clothes, and 7778had his meals in 79the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34And as his allowance, a 80regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.