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ZEDEKIAH
was one and twenty 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.
2 And he
did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
3 For
through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem
and Judah, till
he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah
rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 And it
came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth
day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem,
and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.
5 So the
city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
6 And 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.
7 Then
the city was broken up, 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 by
the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.
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.
9 Then
they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon
to Riblah in the land
of Hamath;
where he gave judgment upon him.
10 And
the king of Babylon slew the sons
of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah
in Riblah.
11 Then
he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon
bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon,
and put him in prison till the day of his death.
12 Now
in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the
nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon,
came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which
served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
13 And
burned the house of the LORD, and the king?s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem,
and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
14 And
all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with
the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem
round about.
15 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain
of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the
city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest
of the multitude.
16 But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain
of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
17 Also
the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases,
and the brasen sea that was in the house of
the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the
brass of them to Babylon.
18 The
caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the
spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.
19 And
the basons, and the firepans,
and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the
cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that
which was of silver in silver, took the
captain of the guard away.
20 The
two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were
under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the
house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
21 And concerning
the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet
of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four
fingers: it was hollow.
22 And a
chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height
of one chapiter was five cubits, with network
and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all
of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto
these.
23 And
there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the
pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round
about.
24 And
the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest,
and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:
25 He
took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war;
and seven men of them that were near the king?s person, which were found in the
city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the
land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the
midst of the city.
26 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and
brought them to the king of Babylon
to Riblah.
27 And
the king of Babylon smote them, and
put them to death in Riblah in the land
of Hamath.
Thus Judah was
carried away captive out of his own land.
28 This
is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away
captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:
29 In
the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away
captive from Jerusalem eight
hundred thirty and two persons:
30 In
the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzar- adan the captain of the
guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons:
all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.
31 And
it came to pass 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 Evil-merodach
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,
32 And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne
of the kings that were with him in Babylon,
33 And
changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all
the days of his life.
34 And for
his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every
day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.
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