Jeremiah 52
52
The Fall of Jerusalem
1Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king of Judah. He ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah.#52:1 Jeremiah This is not the prophet Jeremiah, but a different man with the same name. Hamutal’s family was from the town of Libnah. 2Zedekiah did evil things, just as King Jehoiakim had done. The Lord did not like Zedekiah doing those evil things. 3Terrible things happened to the people of Jerusalem and Judah because the Lord was angry with them. Finally, he threw them out of his presence.
Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s rule, on the tenth day of the tenth month,#52:4 ninth year … tenth month That is, January of 588 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. The army of Babylon set up their camp outside of Jerusalem. Then they built ramps all around the city walls so that they could get over the walls. 5The city of Jerusalem was surrounded by the army of Babylon until the eleventh year that Zedekiah#52:5 the eleventh year … Zedekiah That is, 587 B.C. was king. 6By the ninth day of the fourth month of that year, the hunger in the city was very bad. There was no food left for the people in the city to eat. 7On that day the army of Babylon broke into Jerusalem. The soldiers of Jerusalem ran away. They left the city at night. They went through the gate between the two walls. That gate was near the king’s garden. Even though the army of Babylon had surrounded the city, the soldiers of Jerusalem still ran away toward the desert.
8But the Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught him on the plains of Jericho. All of Zedekiah’s soldiers ran away. 9The army of Babylon captured King Zedekiah and took him to the king of Babylon who was at the city of Riblah, in the land of Hamath. At Riblah the king of Babylon announced his judgment on King Zedekiah. 10There, at the town of Riblah, the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons while Zedekiah watched. The king of Babylon also killed all the royal officials of Judah. 11Then the king of Babylon tore out Zedekiah’s eyes. He put bronze chains on him and took him to Babylon. In Babylon he put Zedekiah into prison. He stayed in prison until the day he died.
12Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king of Babylon’s special guard. He was one of the king’s most important officials while at Jerusalem. He came to Jerusalem on the tenth day of the fifth month, in the 19th year that Nebuchadnezzar#52:12 the 19th year … Nebuchadnezzar That is, 587 B.C. was king. 13Nebuzaradan burned the Lord’s Temple, the king’s palace, and every important building in Jerusalem, as well as all the houses. 14All the Babylonian soldiers that were with the commander broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 15Commander Nebuzaradan took the people who were still in Jerusalem#52:15 the people … Jerusalem This is from the ancient Greek version. The phrase, “some of the poorest people,” which appears in the standard Hebrew text, seems to have been accidentally copied from the next verse. and those who had surrendered earlier and made them captives. He took them and the skilled craftsmen who were left in Jerusalem as captives to Babylon. 16But Nebuzaradan left some of the poorest people behind in the land. He left them to work in the vineyards and the fields.
17The Babylonian army broke up the bronze columns of the Lord’s Temple. They also broke up the stands and the bronze tank#52:17 bronze columns … tank These verses list the things that the Babylonian army took away from the Lord’s Temple. For a description of the Temple furniture, see 1 Kings 7:13-26. that were in the Lord’s Temple. They carried all that bronze to Babylon. 18The army of Babylon also took these things from the Temple: pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, large bowls, pans, and all the bronze things that were used in the Temple service. 19The commander of the king’s special guards took these things away: basins, firepans, large bowls, pots, lampstands, pans, and bowls used for drink offerings. He took everything that was made of gold or silver. 20The two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the moveable stands were very heavy. King Solomon had made those things for the Lord’s Temple. The bronze that those things were made of was so heavy it could not be weighed.
21Each of the bronze pillars was 31 feet#52:21 31 feet Literally, “18 cubits” (9.33 m). tall. Each pillar was almost 21 feet#52:21 21 feet Literally, “12 cubits” (6.22 m). around. Each pillar was hollow. The wall of each pillar was 3 inches#52:21 3 inches Literally, “4 fingers” (7.4 cm). thick. 22The bronze capital on top of the first pillar was over 5 feet#52:22 5 feet Or “1.63 m.” Literally, “5 cubits” which would be 8' 6" (2.6 m), but see 2 Kings 25:17. tall. It was decorated with a net design and bronze pomegranates all around it. The other pillar had pomegranates too. It was like the first pillar. 23There were 96 pomegranates on the sides of the pillars. All together, there were 100 pomegranates above the net design that went around the pillars.
24The commander of the king’s special guards took Seraiah the high priest and Zephaniah the next highest priest as prisoners. The three doorkeepers were also taken as prisoners. 25The commander of the king’s special guards also took the officer in charge of the fighting men. He also took seven of the king’s advisors as prisoners. They were still there in Jerusalem. He also took the scribe who was in charge of putting people in the army. And he took 60 of the ordinary people who were there in the city. 26-27Nebuzaradan, the commander, took all these officials and brought them to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon was at the city of Riblah. Riblah is in the country of Hamath. There at the city of Riblah, the king ordered all of them to be killed.
So the people of Judah were taken from their country. 28This is how many people Nebuchadnezzar carried into captivity:
In Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th year#52:28 Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th year That is, from the middle of 598 B.C. to the middle of 597 B.C. as king of Babylon, 3023 people were taken from Judah.
29In Nebuchadnezzar’s 18th year#52:29 Nebuchadnezzar’s 18th year That is, from the middle of 588 B.C. to the middle of 587 B.C. as king of Babylon, 832 people were taken from Jerusalem.
30In Nebuchadnezzar’s 23rd year#52:30 Nebuchadnezzar’s 23rd year That is, from the middle of 582 B.C. to the middle of 581 B.C. as king, Nebuzaradan took 745 people of Judah into captivity. Nebuzaradan was the commander of the king’s special guards.
In all, 4600 people were taken captive.
Jehoiachin Is Set Free
31King Jehoiachin of Judah was in prison in Babylon for 37 years. In the 37th year of his imprisonment,#52:31 37th year of his imprisonment That is, 561 B.C. King Evil Merodach of Babylon was very kind to Jehoiachin. He let Jehoiachin out of prison in that year. This was the same year that Evil Merodach became king of Babylon. He set Jehoiachin free from prison on the 25th day of the 12th month. 32Evil Merodach spoke kindly to Jehoiachin. He gave Jehoiachin a place of honor higher than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So Jehoiachin took his prison clothes off. For the rest of his life, he ate regularly at the king’s table. 34Every day the king of Babylon paid Jehoiachin enough to take care of his needs until the day Jehoiachin died.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Jeremiah 52
52
The Fall of Jerusalem
1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old#Literally “a son of twenty-one year” at his beginning to reign, and he reigned eleven years#Hebrew “year” in Jerusalem. And the name of his mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh like all that Jehoiakim had done. 3For because of the anger#Literally “nose” of Yahweh this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until his casting them from his presence.#Literally “face” And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4And then#Literally “And it was” in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came against Jerusalem, he and all his army. And they laid siege to it, and built siege works#Literally “siege work” against it all around. 5So the city came under siege#Literally “into the siege” until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine in the city became severe and there was no food for the people of the land. 7Then the city was breached, and all the soldiers#Literally “the men of the battle” fled and went out from the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls that are at the garden of the king, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went in the direction of the Jordan Valley.#Or “Arabah” 8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.#Literally “he spoke to him judgments” 10And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11Then he made blind the eyes of Zedekiah, and they tied him up with bronze fetters, and the king of Babylon brought him to Babylon. And he put him in prison#Literally “the house of the watch” until the day of his death.
12Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard,#Hebrew “guards” who stood before#Literally “to the face of” the king of Babylon, entered into Jerusalem. 13And he burned the temple#Literally “house” of Yahweh, and the palace#Or “house” of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house he burned with fire. 14And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” deported some of the poor of the people, and the rest of the people who were left in the city, and the deserters who deserted to the king of Babylon, along with the rest of the craftsmen. 16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” left some of the poor of the land to serve as vinedressers and farmers.
17And the Chaldeans broke the pillars of bronze that were in the temple#Literally “house” of Yahweh, and the kettle stands and the sea of bronze that were in the temple#Literally “house” of Yahweh, and they carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18And they took with them the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the sprinkling bowls, and the pans, and all the vessels of bronze which were used in temple service. 19And the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” took the bowls, and the firepans, and the sprinkling bowls, and the pots, and the lampstands, and the pans, and the libation bowls, those made of solid gold#Literally “which gold gold” and those made of solid silver.#Literally “which silver silver” 20The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze oxen that were under the kettle stands which King Solomon had made for the temple#Literally “house” of Yahweh—there was not a weight for the bronze of all these vessels! 21Now the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits,#Hebrew “cubit” and a thread of twelve cubits#Hebrew “cubit” surrounded it, and its thickness was four fingers, hollowed out. 22And a capital upon it was bronze and the height of the one capital was five cubits, and latticework and pomegranates were on the capital on all sides, all of bronze. And like these was the second pillar with pomegranates. 23And there were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides;#Literally “breath” all the pomegranates on the latticework on all sides were a hundred.
24Then the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” took Seraiah the chief priest,#Literally “the priest of the head” and Zephaniah the second priest,#Literally “the priest of the second” and three keepers of the threshold. 25And from the city he took one high official who was chief officer over the soldiers,#Literally “the men of the battle” and seven men of the king’s advisors#Literally “those who see the face of the king” who were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander of the army who levied for military service the people of the land, and sixty men#Hebrew “man” of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27And the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah left from its land.
28This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar deported: in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Judeans; 29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, eight hundred and thirty-two persons#Hebrew “person” from Jerusalem; 30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,#Hebrew “guards” deported seven hundred and forty-five Judean persons;#Hebrew “person” there were four thousand six hundred persons#Hebrew “person” in all.
An Allowance for Jehoiachin
31And then#Literally “and it was” in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach, the king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and brought him out from prison.#Literally “the house of the imprisonment” 32Then he spoke with him kindly and gave his seat above the seats#Hebrew “seat” of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33So he changed the garments of his imprisonment and he ate food before him#Literally “to the face of him” continually all the days of his life. 34And his allowance, a continual allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon on a daily basis#Literally “a matter of a day in its day” all the days of his life up to the day of his death.
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