| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. | 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. |
| 2And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. | 2He did what displeased the LORD just as Jehoiakim had done. |
| 3For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. | 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. |
| 4And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. | 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. |
| 5So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. | 5The city remained under siege until Zedekiah's eleventh year. |
| 6On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. | 6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city was so severe the residents had no food. |
| 7Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. | 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. |
| 8But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. | 8But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and his entire army deserted 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. | 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. |
| 10The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. | 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. |
| 11He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. | 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. |
| 12In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. | 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. |
| 13And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. | 13He burned down the LORD's temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. |
| 14And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. | 14The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. |
| 15And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and 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 artisans. | 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. |
| 16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. | 16But he left behind some of the poor and gave them fields and vineyards. |
| 17And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. | 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. |
| 18And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; | 18They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. |
| 19also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. | 19The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels. |
| 20As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. | 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. |
| 21As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. | 21Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference, three inches thick, and hollow. |
| 22On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. | 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. |
| 23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around. | 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. |
| 24And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; | 24The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. |
| 25and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and seven 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 midst of the city. | 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. |
| 26And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. | 26Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. |
| 27And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land. | 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. |
| 28This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; | 28Here is the official record of the number of people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; |
| 29in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; | 29in Nebuchadnezzar's eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; |
| 30in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600. | 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. |
| 31And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. | 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. |
| 32And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. | 32He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than the other kings who were with him in Babylon. |
| 33So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, | 33Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king's presence for the rest of his life. |
| 34and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived. | 34He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died. |
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