^52:12On the tenth¹⁵ day of the fifth month,¹⁶ in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard¹⁷ who served¹⁸ the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. ^52:13He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. ^52:14The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. ^52:15Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor,¹⁹ the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the rest of the craftsmen. ^52:16But he²⁰ left behind some of the poor²¹ and gave them fields and vineyards.

^52:17The 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.”²² They took all the bronze to Babylon. ^52:18They also took the pots, shovels,²³ trimming shears,²⁴ basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.²⁵^52:19The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers,²⁶ basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.²⁷^52:20The 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 stands²⁸) was too heavy to be weighed. ^52:21Each of the pillars was about 27 feet²⁹ high, about 18 feet³⁰ in circumference, three inches³¹ thick, and hollow. ^52:22The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet³² high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. ^52:23There 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.

^52:24The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.³³^52:25From 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 citizens³⁴ for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city. ^52:26Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ^52:27The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed³⁵ at Riblah in the territory of Hamath.

So Judah was taken into exile away from its land. ^52:28Here is the official record of the number of people³⁶ Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year,³⁷ 3,023 Jews; ^52:29in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,³⁸ 832 people from Jerusalem; ^52:30in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year,³⁹ Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4,600 people went into exile.

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Footnotes

15 The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:8 has “seventh.”
16 The tenth day of the month would have been August 17, 586 b.c. in modern reckoning.
17 For the meaning of this phrase see 371 טַבָּח 2 and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.
18 Heb “stood before.”
19 Heb “poor of the people.”
20 Heb “Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding and modern English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.
21 Heb “poor of the land.”
22 For discussion of the items listed here, see the study notes at Jer 27:19.
23 These shovels were used to clean the altar.
24 These trimming shears were used to trim the wicks of the lamps.
25 Heb “with which they served (or “fulfilled their duty”).”
26 The censers held the embers used for the incense offerings.
27 These vessels were used for drink offerings.
28 The translation follows the (Greek version), which reflects the description in 1 Kgs 7:25–26. The Hebrew text reads, “the twelve bronze bulls under the movable stands.” הַיָּם (hayyam, “The Sea”) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton; note that the following form, הַמְּכֹנוֹת (hammékhonot, “the movable stands”), also begins with the article.
29 Heb “eighteen cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
30 Heb “twelve cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
31 Heb “four fingers.”
32 Heb “five cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
33 See the note at .
34 Heb “men, from the people of the land” (also later in this verse).
35 Heb “struck them down and killed them.”
36 Heb “these are the people.”
37 This would be 597 b.c.
38 This would be 586 b.c.
39 This would be 581 b.c.