Fall and Captivity of Judah
1 For ver. 1-7, see 2 Chr. 36:17-20;Jer. 39:1-7;52:4-11And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Jer. 34:1,2;39:1,2;Ezek. 24:2Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. [Ezek. 21:22;26:8]And they built siegeworks all around it. 2 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month [Lam. 4:9,10]the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by Neh. 3:15the king’s garden, and See ch. 24:2the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the See Deut. 1:1Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they captured the king Jer. 32:4and brought him up to the king of Babylon at [ch. 23:33]Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, [Ezek. 12:13]and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.
8 For ver. 8-12, see Jer. 39:8-12;52:12-16In the fifth month, on [Jer. 52:12]the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 2 Chr. 36:19;Ps. 79:1And he burned the house of the Lord[Hos. 8:14;Amos 2:5]and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, Neh. 1:3broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 2 Chr. 36:20And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left ch. 24:14;Jer. 40:7some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.
13 [Jer. 27:19,22]; For ver. 13-17, see 2 Chr. 36:18-20;Jer. 52:17-23And the pillars 1 Kgs. 7:15of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and 1 Kgs. 7:27the stands and 1 Kgs. 7:23the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 Ex. 27:3;1 Kgs. 7:45,50And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service, 15 the fire pans also and the bowls. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 16 As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, 1 Kgs. 7:47the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 17 [1 Kgs. 7:15-18;2 Chr. 3:15]The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,25:17 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters and on it was a capital of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits. A latticework and pomegranates, all of bronze, were all around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with the latticework.
18 For ver. 18-21, see Jer. 52:24-27And the captain of the guard took 1 Chr. 6:14;Ezra 7:1Seraiah the chief priest and Jer. 21:1;29:25;37:3Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 19 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and Esth. 1:14;[Jer. 52:25]five men of the king’s council who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city. 20 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ch. 23:33Riblah. 21 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at [See ver. 20above] Riblah in the land of Hamath. [ch. 23:27;Lev. 26:33;Deut. 28:64]So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.
Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah
22 And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Jer. 39:14;40:5Gedaliah the son of ch. 22:12Ahikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 For ver. 23, 24, seeJer. 40:7-9Now when all the captains and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came with their men to Gedaliah at Josh. 18:26Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite. 24 And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you." 25 Jer. 41:1,2But in the seventh month, Jer. 40:14,15Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down Gedaliah and put him to death along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 See Jer. 43:4-7Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
27 For ver. 27-30, see Jer. 52:31-34And in the thirty-seventh year of ch. 24:12,15the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously Gen. 40:13,20freed25:27 Hebrew reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life 2 Sam. 9:7,13he dined regularly at the king’s table, 30 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.