Chapter 52

Zedekiah [was] one and twenty years old when he began to reign,² and he reigned¹ eleven ⁶²⁴⁰ years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

And he did⁴ [that which was] evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.¹

For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out⁵³ from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled⁴ against the king of Babylon.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign,² in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, [that] Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came,¹ he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched⁴ against it, and built⁴ forts against it round about.

So the city was besieged^{4 4692} unto the eleventh ⁶²⁴⁰ year of king Zedekiah.

And in the fourth month, in the ninth [day] of the month, the famine was sore⁴ in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

Then the city was broken up,¹¹ and all the men of war fled,⁴ and went forth⁴ out of the city by night by the 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 went⁴ by the way of the plain.

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued⁴ after the king, and overtook⁵⁵ Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered⁸ from him.

Then they took⁴ the king, and carried him up⁵⁵ unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave¹⁷ judgment upon him.

And the king of Babylon slew⁴ the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew¹ also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

Then he put out¹⁴ the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound⁴ him in chains, and carried⁵⁵ him to Babylon, and put⁴ him in prison ⁶⁴⁸⁶ till the day of his death.

Now in the fifth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, which [was] the nineteenth ⁶²⁴⁰ year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came¹ Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, [which] served^{1 6440} the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,

And burned⁴ the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great [men], burned¹ he with fire:

And all the army of the Chaldeans, that [were] with the captain of the guard, brake down¹ all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive⁵² [certain] of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained¹² in the city, and those that fell away,⁶ that fell¹ to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left⁵² [certain] of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.⁶

Also the pillars of brass that [were] in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that [was] in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake,¹⁴ and carried⁴ all the brass of them to Babylon.

The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered,¹⁷ took they away.¹

And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; [that] which [was] of gold [in] gold, and [that] which [was] of silver [in] silver, took¹ the captain of the guard away.

The two pillars, one sea, and twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ brasen bulls that [were] under the bases, which king Solomon had made¹ in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

And [concerning] the pillars, the height of one pillar [was] eighteen ⁶²⁴⁰ cubits; and a fillet of twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ cubits did compass⁴ it; and the thickness thereof [was] four fingers: [it was] hollow.⁷

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.

And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; [and] all the pomegranates upon the network [were] an hundred round about.

And the captain of the guard took⁴ Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers⁶ of the door:

He took¹ also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near⁶ the king's person, which were found⁸ in the city; and the principal scribe⁶ of the host, who mustered⁵⁶ the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found¹² in the midst of the city.

So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took⁴ them, and brought⁵⁵ them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

And the king of Babylon smote⁵⁵ them, and put them to death⁵⁵ in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive⁴ out of his own land.

This [is] the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive:⁵² in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:

In the eighteenth ⁶²⁴⁰ year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive⁵² from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:

In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive⁵² of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons [were] four thousand and six hundred.

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth ⁶²⁴⁰ month, in the five and twentieth [day] of the month, [that] Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the [first] year of his reign lifted up¹ the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth⁵⁵ out of prison, ³⁶²⁸

And spake¹⁷ kindly unto him, and set⁴ his throne above the throne of the kings that [were] with him in Babylon,

And changed¹⁴ his prison garments: and he did continually eat¹ bread before him all the days of his life.

And [for] his diet, there was a continual diet given⁸ him of the king of Babylon, every day ³¹¹⁷ a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.