< Jeremiah 52 >

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.
Zedekiah was twenty-one when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah She came from Libnah.
2 He did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
He did evil in the Lord's sight, just as Jehoiakim had done.
3 For through the anger of the LORD it happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
All this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, because of the Lord's anger, until he eventually banished them from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 It happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and camped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. He set up camp around the city and built siege ramps against the walls.
5 So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat.
7 Then a breach was made in the city, 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; (now the Chaldeans were against the city all around; ) and they went toward the Arabah.
Then the city wall was broken through, and all the soldiers ran away, escaping at night through the gate between the two walls by the king's garden, even though the Babylonians had the city surrounded. They went in the direction of the Arabah,
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
but the Babylonian army chased after the king and caught up with him on the plains of Jericho. His whole army had scattered and left him.
9 Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and he gave judgment on him.
They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he sentenced him.
10 The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he killed also all the officials of Judah in Riblah.
The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah's sons while he watched, and also killed the officials of Judah there at Riblah.
11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison until the day of his death.
Then he gouged out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in bronze shackles. The king of Babylon took him to Babylon and imprisoned him there until the day he died.
12 Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem:
On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, an officer of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
13 and he burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned he with fire.
He burned down the Lord's Temple, the royal palace, and all the large buildings of Jerusalem.
14 All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around.
The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the guard knocked down all the walls around Jerusalem.
15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.
Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, deported some of the poor people and those who were left in the city, even those who had gone over to the side of the king of Babylon, as well as the rest of the craftsmen.
16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.
But Nebuzaradan allowed others of the poor people who were left in the country to stay and take care of the vineyards and the fields.
17 The Chaldeans broke the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD in pieces, and carried all their bronze to Babylon.
The Babylonians broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the movable carts, and the bronze Sea that belonged to the Lord's Temple, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the spoons, and all the vessels of bronze with which they ministered.
They also took all the pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, sprinkling bowls, and all the other bronze items used in the Temple service.
19 The captain of the guard took away the cups, the fire pans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the spoons, and the bowls; that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.
The commander of the guard removed the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls, anything that was made of pure gold or silver.
20 They took the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands which king Solomon had made for the house of the LORD. The bronze of all these vessels was without weight.
The amount of bronze that came from the two columns, the Sea, the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable carts, which Solomon had made for the Lord's Temple, all of this weighed more than could be measured.
21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eight feet seven inches; and a line of twenty feet eight inches encircled it; and its thickness was almost three inches. It was hollow.
Each column was eighteen cubits tall and twelve cubits around. They were hollow with walls four fingers thick.
22 A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of the one capital was eight feet seven inches, with network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze: and the second pillar also had like these, and pomegranates.
The bronze capital on top of one column was five cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates around it. The second column was the same, and also had a decorative network.
23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the network all around.
There were ninety-six bronze pomegranates around each column. Above the network were a total of one hundred pomegranates.
24 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:
The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest, second in rank, and the three Temple doorkeepers.
25 and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and seven men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain 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.
From those left in the city he took the officer in charge of the soldiers, and seven of the king's advisors. He also took the secretary to the army commander who was in charge of calling up the people for military service, and sixty other men who were present in the city.
26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.
Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took them and brought them before the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27 The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
The king of Babylon had them executed at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah had to leave their land.
28 This is the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand twenty-three Jews;
This is a record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar took into exile. In the seventh year of his reign he took 3,023 Judeans.
29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;
In his eighteenth year Nebuchadnezzar took another 832 from Jerusalem.
30 in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty-five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.
In his twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took another 745 Judeans, making a total of 4,600.
31 It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Awil-Marduk king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison;
In the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison. This happened on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah.
32 and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon,
The king of Babylon treated him well him and gave him a position of honor higher than the other kings there with him in Babylon.
33 and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life:
So Jehoiachin was able to remove his prison clothes, and he ate frequently at the king's table for the rest of his life.
34 and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
The king provided Jehoiachin with a daily allowance for the rest of his life until he died.

< Jeremiah 52 >