2 Kings 24:18-20

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

18 ^aZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^bHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, ^caccording to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

^dAnd Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

2 Kings 25

Fall and Captivity of Judah

1 ^eAnd in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, ^fNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. ^gAnd they built siegeworks all around it. 2So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3On the ninth day of the fourth month ^hthe famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4Then 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 ⁱthe king’s garden, and ^jthe Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the ^kArabah. 5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6Then they captured the king ^land brought him up to the king of Babylon at ^mRiblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ⁿand put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.

8 ^oIn the fifth month, on ^pthe 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 ^qAnd he burned the house of the Lord ^rand the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, ^sbroke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 ^tAnd 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. 12But the captain of the guard left ^usome of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

13 ^vAnd the pillars ^wof bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and ^xthe stands and ^ythe bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 ^zAnd 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, 15the 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. 16As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the stands that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, ^aathe bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 17 ^abThe height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, ▼

▼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 ^adAnd the captain of the guard took ^aeSeraiah the chief priest and ^afZephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 19and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and ^agfive 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. 20And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at ^ahRiblah. 21And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^aiRiblah in the land of Hamath. ^ajSo Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

22And over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed ^akGedaliah the son of ^alAhikam, son of Shaphan, governor. 23 ^amNow 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 ^anMizpah, 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. 24And 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 ^aoBut in the seventh month, ^apIshmael 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 ^aqThen 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 ^arAnd in the thirty-seventh year of ^asthe 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 ^atfreed ▼

▼Hebrew  reign, lifted up the head of

Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life ^avhe dined regularly at the king’s table, 30and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.