Add parallel Print Page Options

10 (A)At that time officers of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, himself arrived at the city while his officers were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother, his ministers, officers, and functionaries, surrendered to the king of Babylon, who, in the eighth year of his reign,[a] took him captive. 13 He carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and broke up all the gold utensils that Solomon, king of Israel, had provided in the house of the Lord, as the Lord had decreed.(B) 14 He deported all Jerusalem: all the officers and warriors of the army, ten thousand in number, and all the artisans and smiths. Only the lowliest of the people of the land[b] were left. 15 He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, his wives, his functionaries, and the chiefs of the land he led captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.(C) 16 All seven thousand soldiers of the army, and a thousand artisans and smiths, all of them trained warriors, these too the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17 In place of Jehoiachin the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king; he changed his name to Zedekiah.(D)

Reign of Zedekiah. 18 [c]Zedekiah 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, from Libnah.(E)

19 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 This befell Jerusalem and Judah because the Lord was so angry that he cast them out of his sight.

Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Chapter 25

In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it, and built siege walls on every side. The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the month,[d] when famine had gripped the city, and the people of the land had no more food, the city walls were breached. That night, all the soldiers came to the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden (the Chaldeans had the city surrounded), while the king went toward the Arabah.[e] But the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the desert near Jericho, abandoned by his whole army. The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him. They slew Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes; then they put out his eyes, bound him with fetters, and brought him to Babylon.

Footnotes

  1. 24:12 The eighth year of his reign: that is, of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, not Jehoiachin’s. The year was 597 B.C.
  2. 24:14 People of the land: see note on 11:14.
  3. 24:18–25:30 Much of this material closely parallels Jer 52; some of the events are also recounted in Jer 39.
  4. 25:3 Ninth day of the month: the text does not say which month, but Jer 39:2 and 52:6 set the breaching of the city walls in the fourth month; in later times that was the date of a fast commemorating the event (cf. Zec 8:19). People of the land: the influential citizens (see note on 11:14); even they, whose resources went beyond those of the ordinary people, were starving.
  5. 25:4 The Hebrew text of this verse is missing some words. The present translation is based on a likely reconstruction.

10 At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar(A) king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, 11 and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered(B) to him.

In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. 13 As the Lord had declared,(C) Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures(D) from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles(E) that Solomon(F) king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile:(G) all the officers and fighting men,(H) and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest(I) people of the land were left.

15 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin(J) captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother,(K) his wives, his officials and the prominent people(L) of the land. 16 The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans.(M) 17 He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.(N)

Zedekiah King of Judah(O)

18 Zedekiah(P) was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal(Q) daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 19 He did evil(R) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20 It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust(S) them from his presence.(T)

The Fall of Jerusalem(U)(V)(W)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

25 So in the ninth(X) year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(Y) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works(Z) all around it. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

By the ninth day of the fourth[a] month the famine(AA) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the city wall was broken through,(AB) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians[b] were surrounding(AC) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,[c] but the Babylonian[d] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,(AD) and he was captured.(AE)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,(AF) where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.(AG)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 25:3 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Jer. 52:6); Masoretic Text does not have fourth.
  2. 2 Kings 25:4 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 13, 25 and 26
  3. 2 Kings 25:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  4. 2 Kings 25:5 Or Chaldean; also in verses 10 and 24