2 Kings 24:17–25:7

Zedekiah Reigns over Judah

^17aThen the king of Babylon made ¹his uncle Mattaniah king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.

^18aZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was ^bHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

¹⁹And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, ^aaccording to all that Jehoiakim had done.

²⁰For ^athrough the anger of Yahweh this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And ^bZedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

CHAPTER 25

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

^1aNow in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, ^bNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his military force, against Jerusalem, and he camped against it and ^cbuilt a siege wall all around ¹it.

²So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

³On the ninth day of the fourth month ^athe famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

^4aThen the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside ^bthe king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And ¹they went by way of the Arabah.

⁵But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho and all his military force was scattered from him.

⁶Then ^athey seized the king and ^bbrought him up to the king of Babylon at ^cRiblah, and they spoke their judgment on him.

^7aAnd they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; then he ^bblinded the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.