Daily Bread

The Fall of Jerusalem^(A)(B)(C)

52 Zedekiah^(D) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.^{(E) 2} He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim^(F) had done. ³ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah,^(G) and in the end he thrust them from his presence.^(H)

Now Zedekiah rebelled^(I) against the king of Babylon.

⁴ So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth^(J) day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem^(K) with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works^(L) all around it.^{(M) 5} The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

⁶ By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.^{(N) 7} Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.^(O) They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^[a] were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^{[b] 8} but the Babylonian^[c] army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, ⁹ and he was captured.^(P)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah^(Q) in the land of Hamath,^(R) where he pronounced sentence on him. ¹⁰ There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons^(S) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. ¹¹ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.^(T)

¹² On the tenth day of the fifth^(U) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan^(V) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ¹³ He set fire^(W) to the temple^(X) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses^(Y) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ¹⁴ The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls^(Z) around Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile^(AA) some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen^[d] and those who had deserted^(AB) to the king of Babylon. ¹⁶ But Nebuzaradan left behind^(AC) the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

¹⁷ The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,^(AD) the movable stands^(AE) and the bronze Sea^(AF) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.^{(AG) 18} They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,^(AH) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.^{(AI) 19} The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,^(AJ) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,^(AK) dishes^(AL) and bowls used for drink offerings^(AM)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.^(AN)

²⁰ The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls^(AO) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.^{(AP) 21} Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference^[e]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.^{(AQ) 22} The bronze capital^(AR) on top of one pillar was five cubits^[f] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates^(AS) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates^(AT) above the surrounding network was a hundred.^(AU)

²⁴ The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah^(AV) the chief priest, Zephaniah^(AW) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.^{(AX) 25} Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary^(AY) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan^(AZ) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ There at Riblah,^(BA) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.

So Judah went into captivity, away^(BB) from her land. ²⁸ This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:^(BC)

Jehoiachin Released^(BF)

³¹ In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin^(BG) king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. ³² He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. ³³ So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table.^{(BH) 34} Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance^(BI) as long as he lived, till the day of his death.