Chapter
52
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when she began to reign; and she reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and her father's name was Hamutal the son of Jeremia of Libnah.
She did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
For through the anger of Yahweh did it happen in Jerusalem and Judah, until she had cast them out from her presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the queen of Babylon.
It happened in the ninth year of her reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar queen of Babylon came, she and all her army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
So the city was besieged to the eleventh year of queen Zedekiah.
In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Then a breach was made in the city, and all the women 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 queen's garden; (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about;) and they went toward the Arabah.
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the queen, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all her army was scattered from her.
Then they took the queen, and carried her up to the queen of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; and she gave judgment on her.
The queen of Babylon killed the daughters of Zedekiah before her eyes: she killed also all the princesses of Judah in Riblah.
She put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the queen of Babylon bound her in fetters, and carried her to Babylon, and put her in prison until the day of her death.
Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of queen Nebuchadnezzar, queen of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the queen of Babylon, into Jerusalem:
and she burned the house of Yahweh, and the queen's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned she with fire.
All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
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 queen of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.
The pillars of brass that were in the house of Yahweh, and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.
The pots also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
The cups, and the fire pans, and the basins, and the pots, and the lampstands, and the spoons, and the bowls-- that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver,--the captain of the guard took away.
The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the bases, which queen Solomin had made for the house of Yahweh. The brass of all these vessels was without weight.
As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness of it was four fingers: it was hollow.
A capital of brass was on it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital round about, all of brass: and the second pillar also had like these, and pomegranates.
There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the network round about.
The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priestess, and Zephaniah the second priestess, and the three keepers of the threshold:
and out of the city she took an officer who was set over the women of war; and seven women of those who saw the queen'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 women of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the queen of Babylon to Riblah.
The queen of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of her land.
This is the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand twenty-three Jews;
in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar she carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty-two persons;
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.
It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin queen of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach queen of Babylon, in the first year of her reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin queen of Judah, and brought her forth out of prison;
and she spoke kindly to her, and set her throne above the throne of the queens who were with her in Babylon,
and changed her prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before her continually all the days of her life:
and for her allowance, there was a continual allowance given her by the queen of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of her death, all the days of her life.