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was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 3 It was because of the anger of the Lord that everything happened to Jerusalem and Judah, until He had banished them from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 In the ninth year of reign of Zedekiah, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against Jerusalem with all his army. They laid siege to the city, and they built a siege wall against it all around it. 5 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah.
6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land to eat. 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and all of the soldiers fled. They left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was near the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans surrounded the city.
They fled toward the Arabah, 8 but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah on the plains of Jericho. All his army was separated from him and scattered. 9 The Chaldeans captured the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.
10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Hezekiah before his eyes; he also slaughtered the Judean officers. 11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters. The king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.
12 Now in the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard came to Jerusalem in the service of the king of Babylon. 13 He burned with fire the House of the Lord, the king’s palace, all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the nobles. 14 All of the army of the Chaldeans serving under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
17 The bronze pillars that were in the House of the Lord, the moveable stands, and the bronze sea that were in the House of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and they carried off all the bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the wick trimmers, the sprinkling bowls, the dishes, and all the bronze articles used by the priests in their ministry. 19 The captain of the guard took away the basins, the firepans, the sprinkling bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the dishes and the cups—everything that was made of gold or silver.
20 As for the two pillars, the sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the House of the Lord, the weight of bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 21 As for the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, the circumference was twelve cubits, and the thickness was four fingers thick, for it was hollow. 22 A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a latticework and pomegranates encircling the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar was similar, also with its pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; and the pomegranates, all around on the latticework, numbered a hundred.
24 The captain of the guard took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 25 He also took from the city the officer who had been in charge of the soldiers; seven men employed as advisers to the king who were found in the city; the secretary of the commander of the army who enlisted the people of the land; and sixty men who were found inside the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 There at Riblah in the land of Hamath the king had them put to death. Thus Judah was carried away into captivity away from their own land.
28 This the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried away into captivity:
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29 in his eighteenth year, 832 people;
carried away into captivity from Jerusalem;
30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, 745 Jews;
taken into captivity by Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard.
In all, 4,600 people went into captivity.
31 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, on the twenty-five day of the twelvth month, Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in first year of his reign, showed favour to Jehoiachin king of Judah, and he released him from the prison. 32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honour above those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes, and he ate his food in the presence of the king all the days of his life. 34 As for his allowance, the king of Babylon gave him a regular portion each day as long as he lived, until the day of his death.