King Nebuchadnezzar Comes to Judah

24 In the time of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the country of Judah. Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned against Nebuchadnezzar and broke away from his rule. ²The Lord sent groups of Babylonians, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites to fight against Jehoiakim. The Lord sent those groups to destroy Judah. This happened just like the Lord said. The Lord used his servants the prophets to say those things. ³The Lord commanded those things to happen to Judah. In this way, he would take them out of his sight. He did this because of all the sins that Manasseh did. ⁴The Lord did this because Manasseh killed many innocent people. Manasseh had filled Jerusalem with their blood. And the Lord would not forgive {those sins}. ⁵The other things that Jehoiakim did are written in the book The History of the Kings of Judah. ⁶Jehoiakim {died and} was buried with his ancestors.* Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became the new king after him. ⁷The king of Babylon captured all the land between the Brook of Egypt and the Euphrates River. This land was previously controlled by Egypt. So the king of Egypt did not leave Egypt any more.

Nebuchadnezzar Captures Jerusalem

⁸Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began to rule. He ruled three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. ⁹Jehoiachin did the things that the Lord said were wrong. He did all the same things that his father had done. ¹⁰At that time, the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and surrounded it. ¹¹Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city. ¹²Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to meet the king of Babylon. Jehoiachin’s mother, his officers, leaders, and officials also went with him. Then the king of Babylon captured Jehoiachin. This was during the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. ¹³Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem all the treasures in the Lord’s temple* and all the treasures in the king’s house. Nebuchadnezzar cut up all the golden dishes that Solomon king of Israel had put in the Lord’s temple. This happened just like the Lord said. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar captured all the people of Jerusalem. He captured all the leaders and other wealthy people. He took 10,000 people and made them prisoners. Nebuchadnezzar took all the skilled workers and craftsmen. No person was left, except the poorest of the common people. ¹⁵Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as a prisoner. Nebuchadnezzar also took the king’s mother, his wives, officers, and the leading men of the land. Nebuchadnezzar took them from Jerusalem to Babylon as prisoners. ¹⁶There were 7,000 soldiers. Nebuchadnezzar took all of the soldiers and 1,000 of the skilled workers and craftsmen. All of these men were trained soldiers, ready for war. The king of Babylon took them to Babylon as prisoners.

King Zedekiah

¹⁷The king of Babylon made Mattaniah the new king. Mattaniah was Jehoiachin’s uncle. He changed his name to Zedekiah. ¹⁸Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to rule. He ruled 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. ¹⁹Zedekiah did the things the Lord said were wrong. Zedekiah did all the same things that Jehoiachin did. ²⁰The Lord became so angry at Jerusalem and Judah that he threw them away.

Nebuchadnezzar Ends Zedekiah’s Rule

Zedekiah rebelled and refused to obey the king of Babylon.

ancestor(s) Literally, “father(s).” This means a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the people they are descended from. temple A special building for worshiping God. God commanded the Jews to worship him at the temple in Jerusalem.

25 So Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and all his army came to fight against Jerusalem. This happened on the 10th day of the tenth month of Zedekiah’s ninth year as king. Nebuchadnezzar put his army around Jerusalem {to stop people from going in and out of the city}. Then he built a wall of dirt around the city. ²Nebuchadnezzar’s army stayed around Jerusalem until Zedekiah’s eleventh year as king of Judah. ³The famine was getting worse and worse in the city. By the 9th day of the fourth month there was no more food for the common people in the city. ⁴Nebuchadnezzar’s army finally broke through the city wall. That night King Zedekiah and all his soldiers ran away. They used the {secret} gate that went through the double walls. It was by the king’s garden. The enemy soldiers were all around the city, but Zedekiah and his men escaped on the road to the desert. ⁵The Babylonian army chased King Zedekiah and caught him near Jericho. All of Zedekiah’s soldiers left him and ran away. ⁶The Babylonians took King Zedekiah to the king of Babylon at Riblah. The Babylonians decided to punish Zedekiah. ⁷They killed Zedekiah’s sons in front of him. Then they put out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put chains on him and took him to Babylon.

Jerusalem Is Destroyed

⁸Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem on the 7th day of the fifth month of his nineteenth year as king of Babylon. The captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s best soldiers was Nebuzaradan. ⁹Nebuzaradan burned the Lord’s temple,* the king’s house, and all the houses in Jerusalem. He destroyed even the largest houses. ¹⁰Then the Babylonian army that was with Nebuzaradan pulled down the walls around Jerusalem. ¹¹Nebuzaradan captured all the people that were still left in the city. Nebuzaradan took all the people as prisoners, even the people who had tried to surrender. ¹²Nebuzaradan let only the poorest of the common people stay there. He let them stay so they could take care of the grapes and other crops. ¹³The Babylonian soldiers broke to pieces all the bronze things in the Lord’s temple. They broke the bronze columns, the bronze carts, and the large bronze tank. Then they took all of that bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴The Babylonians also took the pots, the shovels, the tools for trimming the lamps, the spoons, and all the bronze dishes that were used in the Lord’s temple. ¹⁵Nebuzaradan took all the firepans and bowls. He took all the things made of gold for the gold. And he took all the things made of silver for the silver. ^16–17So, Nebuzaradan took: the 2 bronze columns (Each column was about 27 feet* tall. The capitals* on the columns were 4 1/2 feet* tall. They were made from bronze and had a design like a net and pomegranates. Both columns had the same kind of design.); the large bronze tank*; the carts that Solomon made for the Lord’s temple. The bronze from these things was too heavy to be weighed.

The People of Judah Taken as Prisoners

¹⁸{From the temple,} Nebuzaradan took Seraiah the high priest, Zephaniah the second priest, the three men who guarded the entrance. ¹⁹And from the city, Nebuzaradan took 1 official who was in charge of the army 5 of the king’s advisers* who were still in the city, 1 secretary of the commander of the army. He was in charge of counting the common people and choosing some of them to be soldiers. 60 people who just happened to be in the city. ^20–21Then Nebuzaradan took all these people to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the area of Hamath. The king of Babylon killed them there at Riblah. And the people of Judah were led away as prisoners from their land.

Gedaliah Governor of Judah

²²Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left some people in the land of Judah. There was a man named Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. Nebuchadnezzar made Gedaliah governor over those people in Judah. ²³The army captains were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah son of the Maachathite. These army captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor. So they went to Mizpah to meet with Gedaliah. ²⁴Gedaliah made promises to these officers and their men. Gedaliah said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the Babylonian officers. Stay here and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will be all right with you.” ²⁵Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama was from the king’s family. In the seventh month Ishmael and ten of his men attacked Gedaliah and killed all the Jews and Babylonians that were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. ²⁶Then the army officers and all the people ran away to Egypt. Everyone, from the least important to the most important, ran away because they were afraid of the Babylonians. ²⁷Later, Evil Merodach became the king of Babylon. He let Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison. This happened in the 37th year after Jehoiachin was captured. This was on the 27th day of the twelfth month from the time that Evil Merodach began to rule. ²⁸Evil Merodach was kind to Jehoiachin. He gave Jehoiachin a more important place to sit than the other kings that were with him in Babylon. ²⁹Evil Merodach let Jehoiachin stop wearing prison clothes. And Jehoiachin ate at the same table with Evil Merodach, every day for the rest of his life. ³⁰So King Evil Merodach gave Jehoiachin every meal, every day, for the rest of his life.

temple A special building for worshiping God. God commanded the Jews to worship him at the temple in Jerusalem. 27 feet Literally, “18 cubits.” capital(s) Decorated caps of stone or wood on top of columns. 4 1/2 feet Literally, “3 cubits.” tank A very large basin for water. king’s advisers Literally, “men that saw the king’s face.”