Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:15–21; Jeremiah 39:1–10)
1 UST { Because Zedekiah had rebelled,} King Nebuchadnezzar led his whole army to attack Jerusalem. They arrived there after Zedekiah had been ruling for nine years, on the tenth day of the tenth month of that year. They surrounded the city and built earthen ramps against its walls to help them attack it. BSB BSB: So 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 entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
2 UST The Babylonians kept attacking the city{ for the next two years,} until Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years. BSB BSB: And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
3 UST Because the Babylonians had surrounded the city, the people could not bring in any food. By the ninth day of the{ fourth month} of that year, they had no food left. BSB BSB: By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.
4 UST Then the Chaldean soldiers{ that is, the Babylonian soldiers} broke through the city wall and entered the city.{ King Zedekiah and} the Judean soldiers tried to escape at night{ when the Chaldeans would not see them}. They used the gate near the king’ s garden to go through the inner and outer walls of the city. Zedekiah{ and the soldiers} tried to escape through the Jordan River valley. But the Chaldeans had surrounded the city{, and some of their soldiers saw where they went}. BSB BSB: Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
5 UST So some Chaldean soldiers chased after King Zedekiah. They caught up to him in the plains around the city of Jericho. His soldiers ran away{ instead of fighting to defend him}. BSB BSB: but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and his whole army deserted him.
6 UST So the Babylonian soldiers were able to capture King Zedekiah. They brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah. Nebuchadnezzar declared that Zedekiah was guilty of rebelling against him. BSB BSB: The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
7 UST Then he forced Zedekiah to watch as his soldiers killed all of his sons. Then the soldiers gouged out Zedekiah’ s eyes. They put bronze chains on his hands and feet and brought him as a prisoner to the city of Babylon. BSB BSB: And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
The Temple Destroyed (Jeremiah 52:12–23)
9 UST He ordered his soldiers to burn down Yahweh’ s temple, the king’ s palace, and all the important buildings in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
10 UST Then the Chaldean soldiers who had come to Jerusalem with Nebuzaradan tore down the walls all around Jerusalem. BSB BSB: And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
11 UST After that, he and his soldiers took to Babylon the people who were still alive in Jerusalem. They also took other people who lived in the region of Judah. Some Judeans had previously surrendered to the Babylonian army, and they took them away too. BSB BSB: Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
12 UST But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the very poor people to stay in Judah to take care of the vineyards and to plant crops in the fields. BSB BSB: But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
13 UST The Chaldean soldiers broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze carts, and the giant water basin that people called the sea, all of which were in the temple courtyard, and they took all the bronze to Babylon. BSB BSB: Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.
14 UST They also took the pots, shovels, wick snuffers, incense dishes, and other bronze items that the priests used for their work in the temple. BSB BSB: They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
15 UST The soldiers also took away the pans for carrying hot coals, the small bowls, and all the other items that were pure gold or pure silver. BSB BSB: The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
16 UST There was too much bronze for the Babylonians to weigh in the two pillars, the carts, and the giant water basin that people called the sea. King Solomon had commanded his workers to make those things for Yahweh’ s temple. BSB BSB: As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.
17 UST Each of the pillars was eight and one quarter meters tall. The bronze top of each pillar was one and one third meters tall. Solomon’ s master craftsman had decorated the tops with bronze strands that he had formed into the shape of nets. He had also made bronze decorations in the shape of pomegranates for the pillar tops. BSB BSB: Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
Captives Carried to Babylon (Jeremiah 52:24–30)
18 UST Nebuzaradan took some prisoners. These included the high priest Seraiah, Zephaniah, who was another leading priest, and the three priests who had supervised the courtyard entrance. BSB BSB: The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
19 UST The prisoners also included the royal official responsible for the army, five of the king’ s advisors who had not fled, the commander who recorded the names of Judean men as they came to serve as soldiers, and 60 men who were serving as soldiers and were still in the city. BSB BSB: Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
20 UST Nebuzaradan took them all as prisoners to the king of Babylon at the city of Riblah. BSB BSB: Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 UST There at the city of Riblah, in the province of Hamath, the king of Babylon had his soldiers kill all of the prisoners. That is what happened when the Babylonians forcefully took the people of Judah away from their land. BSB BSB: There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
Gedaliah Governs in Judah (Jeremiah 40:1–16)
22 UST King Nebuchadnezzar allowed some people to continue living in Judah. He appointed Gedaliah to be their governor. Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan. BSB BSB: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
23 UST { There were} some Judean army commanders and their soldiers{ whom the Babylonians had not captured. When they} found out that Nebuchadnezzar had appointed Gedaliah as the governor of Judah, the commanders and soldiers went to meet with him at the city of Mizpah. These commanders were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from the city of Netophah, and Jaazaniah, the son of a man from the region of Maacah. BSB BSB: When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.
24 UST Gedaliah solemnly promised them that they could remain in Judah without being afraid of the Chaldean soldiers. He told them that if they obeyed the king of Babylon, they could live peacefully in the land. BSB BSB: And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
The Murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1–10)
25 UST But in the seventh month of that year, Ishmael son of Nethaniah went to Mizpah with ten of his soldiers. Ishmael was a descendant of King David through his grandfather Elishama. Ishmael and his men assassinated Gedaliah. They also assassinated the Judeans who were serving in his government and the Chaldean officials who were there. BSB BSB: In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 UST This made the Judeans who were still living in the land very afraid of what the Chaldeans would do to them. So a large number of them fled to Egypt. The army commanders also fled there. BSB BSB: Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison (Jeremiah 52:31–34)
28 UST He reassured Jehoiachin that he would treat him well, and he gave him a position of greater honor than the other{ captive} kings whom the Babylonians had{ conquered and} brought to their royal court. BSB BSB: And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 UST He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat meals with him every day for the rest of his life. BSB BSB: So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
30 UST The king of Babylon also gave Jehoiachin money to buy the things he needed. He gave him a regular amount that was sufficient for his needs. The king continued to do for as long as Jehoiachin lived. BSB BSB: And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
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