1
Zedekiah
was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name
was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2
And he did
that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
3
For because of the anger of the LORD against Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out of his presence, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4
Therefore it came to pass after nine years of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth
day of the month,
that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem and pitched camp against it and built forts against it round about.
5
So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
6
And in the fourth month, in the ninth
day of the month, the famine prevailed in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
7
Then the city was breached, and all the men of war fled and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which
was by the king’s garden, and they went by the way of the desert, even though the Chaldeans
were by the city round about.
8
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king and took Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
9
So they took the king and caused him to come up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath where he pronounced the sentence upon him.
10
And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.
11
But he put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains; and the king of Babylon caused him to be taken to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.
12
And in the fifth month, in the tenth
day of the month, which
was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,
who served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem
13
and burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great house he burned with fire:
14
And all the army of the Chaldeans, that
were with the captain of the guard, destroyed all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
15
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive
certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and the fugitives that had fled to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.
16
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left
certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
17
Also the pillars of brass that
were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brazen sea that
was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.
18
The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, they took away.
19
And the basins, and the censers, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the lampstands, and the spoons, and the cups;
that which
was of gold
in gold, and
that which
was of silver
in silver, the captain of the guard took away.
20
The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brazen bulls that
were under the bases, which King Solomon had made in the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels could not be weighed.
21
And
concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar
was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof
was four fingers:
it was hollow.
22
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.
23
And there were ninety-six pomegranates on a side;
and all the pomegranates upon the network
were one hundred round about.
24
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door.
25
He also took out of the city a eunuch, who had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of those that were near the king’s person, who were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land for war; and sixty men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.
26
So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
27
And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.
28
This
is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand and twenty-three Jews:
29
In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons:
30
In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty-five persons: all the persons
were four thousand six hundred.