besieged the city of Jerusalem (597; 2 Kgs 24:8–17; 2 Chr 36:9–10). The city did not fall during this siege. Instead, the Babylonians took into captivity the elite members of Jerusalemite society, including the royal family, the priests who controlled the Jerusalem temple, and other high-ranking bureaucrats. They did not kill Jehoiakin, but kept him alive, probably hoping that this would deter those remaining in Judah from rebelling. They placed on the throne Mattaniah, another son of Josiah and
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