| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother's name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. | 1Zedekiah 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. |
| 2He did what displeased the LORD just as Jehoiakim had done. | 2He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. |
| 3What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the LORD's anger when he drove them out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. | 3It was because of the LORD's anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. |
| 4King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year that Zedekiah ruled over Judah. | 4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. |
| 5The city remained under siege until Zedekiah's eleventh year. | 5The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. |
| 6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food. | 6By 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. |
| 7They broke through the city walls, and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king's garden. (The Babylonians had the city surrounded.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. | 7Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king's garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, |
| 8But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted him. | 8but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, |
| 9They captured him and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the territory of Hamath and he passed sentence on him there. | 9and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. |
| 10The king of Babylon had Zedekiah's sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah. | 10There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. |
| 11He had Zedekiah's eyes put out and had him bound in chains. Then the king of Babylon had him led off to Babylon and he was imprisoned there until the day he died. | 11Then 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. |
| 12On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard who served the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. | 12On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. |
| 13He burned down the LORD's temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. | 13He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. |
| 14The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. | 14The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. |
| 15Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor, the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen. | 15Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. |
| 16But he left behind some of the poor and gave them fields and vineyards. | 16But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. |
| 17The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the LORD, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called the "The Sea." They took all the bronze to Babylon. | 17The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried all the bronze to Babylon. |
| 18They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. | 18They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. |
| 19The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels. | 19The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls used for drink offerings--all that were made of pure gold or silver. |
| 20The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the LORD's temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called "The Sea," the twelve bronze bulls under "The Sea," and the movable stands) was too heavy to be weighed. | 20The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed. |
| 21Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference, three inches thick, and hollow. | 21Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference; each was four fingers thick, and hollow. |
| 22The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. | 22The bronze capital on top of one pillar was five cubits high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. |
| 23There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it. | 23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates above the surrounding network was a hundred. |
| 24The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. | 24The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. |
| 25From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king's advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city. | 25Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. |
| 26Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 26Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 27The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile away from its land. | 27There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. |
| 28Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; | 28This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; |
| 29in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; | 29in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; |
| 30in Nebuchadnezzar's twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4,600 people went into exile. | 30in his twenty-third year, 745 Jews taken into exile by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard. There were 4,600 people in all. |
| 31In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. | 31In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin 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. |
| 32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. | 32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 33Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king's presence for the rest of his life. | 33So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. |
| 34He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died. | 34Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived, till the day of his death. |
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