1Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.
2He did what was evil in Yahweh’s sight, just as Jehoiakim had done.
3Because of Yahweh’s anger, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah until he cast them out of his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with his entire army against Jerusalem. They set up camp around it and built siege ramps all around the city.
5So the city was under attack until King Zedekiah's eleventh year.
6In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city's famine was so severe that there was no food for the people.
7Then a hole was made in the city wall, and all the soldiers ran away. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls, near the king's garden. The Chaldeans were surrounding the city. The soldiers headed toward the Arabah desert,
8but the Chaldean army chased the king and caught Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army scattered from him.
9Then they captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, where he was put on trial.
10The king of Babylon killed Zedekiah's sons in front of him. He also killed all the leaders of Judah in Riblah.
11He then put out Zedekiah's eyes, and the king of Babylon put him in chains and took him to Babylon, imprisoning him until he died.
12Now, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
13He burned down Yahweh's temple and the king's palace. He also burned all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house.
14All the Chaldean army, who were with the captain of the guard, tore down all the walls around Jerusalem.
15Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took captive the poorest people, the remaining people who were still in the city, those who had surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the general population.
16But Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left some of the poorest people in the land to work as vineyard keepers and farmers.
17The Chaldeans broke the bronze pillars, the stands, and the large bronze basin that were in Yahweh's temple into pieces. They carried all their bronze to Babylon.
18They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, bowls, spoons, and all the bronze items used for worship.
19The captain of the guard took the cups, firepans, bowls, pots, lampstands, spoons, and basins—everything made of gold and everything made of silver.
20They took the two pillars, the one large bronze basin, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the stands, which King Solomon had made for Yahweh's temple. The bronze from all these items was too much to weigh.
21Regarding the pillars, one pillar was eighteen cubits (about 27 feet) tall, and a rope twelve cubits (about 18 feet) long went around it. Its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow.
22It had a bronze top. The top was five cubits (about 7.5 feet) tall, with a network design and pomegranates all around it, all made of bronze. The second pillar also had the same design and pomegranates.
23There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates totaled one hundred on the network all around.
24The captain of the guard arrested Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
25From the city he took an officer who was in charge of the soldiers; seven men who were close advisors to the king, found in the city; the scribe of the army commander, who was responsible for enlisting the people of the land; and sixty additional men from the people of the land, found in the middle of the city.
26Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon in Riblah.
27The king of Babylon executed them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah were taken away from their homeland as captives.
28These are the people Nebuchadnezzar took captive: in his seventh year, 3,023 Jews.
29In Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, he took 832 people captive from Jerusalem.
30In Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took 745 Jews captive. In total, 4,600 people were taken.
31In the thirty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin of Judah’s captivity, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, Evilmerodach, the king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison.
32He spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and gave him a seat of honor higher than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
33He also allowed Jehoiachin to change out of his prison clothes. Jehoiachin ate meals in the king’s presence regularly for the rest of his life.
34And for his provisions, the king of Babylon gave him a daily allowance, every day until his death, for the rest of his life.