It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

从犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬在位的时候，直到犹大王约西亚的儿子西底家在位的末年，就是十一年五月间耶路撒冷人被掳的时候，耶和华的话也常临到耶利米。

从约西亚的儿子犹大王约雅敬在位的时候，直到约西亚的儿子犹大王西底家在位的末年，就是第十一年五月间耶路撒冷被掳时，耶和华的话也常临到耶利米。

从约西亚的儿子犹大王约雅敬在位的时候，直到约西亚的儿子犹大王西底家在位的末年，就是第十一年五月间耶路撒冷被掳时，耶和华的话也常临到耶利米。

从犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬开始执政，一直到约西亚的另一个儿子西底迦做犹大王的第十一年五月，就是耶路撒冷的居民被掳之日，耶和华的话常常传给耶利米。

从犹大王约西亚的儿子约雅敬年间，直到犹大王约西亚的儿子西底家末年，就是第十一年五月，耶路撒冷人被掳的时候，耶和华的话也常临到耶利米。

從猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬在位的時候，直到猶大王約西亞的兒子西底家在位的末年，就是十一年五月間耶路撒冷人被擄的時候，耶和華的話也常臨到耶利米。

從約西亞的兒子猶大王約雅敬在位的時候，直到約西亞的兒子猶大王西底家在位的末年，就是第十一年五月間耶路撒冷被擄時，耶和華的話也常臨到耶利米。

從約西亞的兒子猶大王約雅敬在位的時候，直到約西亞的兒子猶大王西底家在位的末年，就是第十一年五月間耶路撒冷被擄時，耶和華的話也常臨到耶利米。

從猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬開始執政，一直到約西亞的另一個兒子西底迦做猶大王的第十一年五月，就是耶路撒冷的居民被擄之日，耶和華的話常常傳給耶利米。

從猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬年間，直到猶大王約西亞的兒子西底家末年，就是第十一年五月，耶路撒冷人被擄的時候，耶和華的話也常臨到耶利米。

當猶大王約西亞的兒子約雅敬的日子，直到猶大王約西亞的兒子西底家十一年年底，直到五月間耶路撒冷人流亡的時候，永恆主的話都常常傳與耶利米。

又諭之於猶大王約西亞子約雅敬時、迄約西亞子西底家十一年之末、是年五月、耶路撒冷被虜、○

猶大王約西亞子約雅敬在位時亦得默示、得默示直至約西亞子西底家在位十一年之終、是年五月、耶路撒冷民被擄、

and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

After Josiah, his son Jehoiakim was king over Judah. The Lord’ s message also came to Jeremiah during the whole time Jehoiakim ruled. The Lord continued to speak to Jeremiah while Zedekiah was king over Judah. He did this until the fifth month of the 11th year of Zedekiah’s rule. That’s when the people of Jerusalem were forced to leave their country. Zedekiah was the son of Josiah. Here is what Jeremiah said.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.

It also came throughout the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

It also came throughout the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

The LORD also spoke to him when Jehoiakim son of Josiah ruled over Judah, and he continued to speak to him until the fifth month of the eleventh year that Zedekiah son of Josiah ruled over Judah. That was when the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, to the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was breached.

Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of his father Josiah, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, and he died there.

Jehoiakim was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God.Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon.Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and the abominations which he committed, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.

Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.Zedekiah was twenty one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done.For it was due to the anger of the Lord that this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He cast them out of His presence. And Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a siege wall all around it.So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls that were beside the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah.But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and he passed sentence on him.And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.And he burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire.So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the bodyguards tore down the walls around Jerusalem.Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguards, led into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the people.But the captain of the bodyguards left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.Now the Chaldeans smashed to pieces the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze Sea which were in the house of the Lord, and carried the bronze to Babylon.And they took away the pots, the shovels, the shears, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils which were used in temple service.The captain of the bodyguards also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver.The two pillars, the one Sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord— the bronze of all these articles was too heavy to weigh.The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was three cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, same features with latticework.Then the captain of the bodyguards took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three doorkeepers.And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and five of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain 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.Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah went into exile from its land.Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them.When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.And Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them,“ Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.”But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.Then all the people, from the small to the great, and the captains of the forces set out and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.Now it came about in the thirty seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty seventh day of the month, that Evil merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison;and he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon.So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life;and as his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Now in the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the prophet the son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me at the house of the Lord in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying,“ This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:‘ I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and brought to Babylon.I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord,‘ for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the sight of the priests and in the sight of all the people who were standing at the house of the Lord,and Jeremiah the prophet said,“ Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place.Yet hear now this word which I am going to speak so that you and all the people can hear it!The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times also prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms regarding war, disaster, and plague.As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.Hananiah spoke in the sight of all the people, saying,“ This is what the Lord says:‘ Even so within two full years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’ ” Then Jeremiah the prophet went his way.Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying,“ Go and speak to Hananiah, saying,‘ This is what the Lord says:“ You have broken the yokes of wood, but in their place you have made yokes of iron.”For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:“ I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have also given him the animals of the field.” ’ ”Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet,“ Listen now, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.Therefore, this is what the Lord says:‘ Behold, I am going to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you spoke falsely against the Lord.’ ”So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year, in the seventh month.

“ The Lord of armies says this:‘ The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth months will become joy, jubilation, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.’

Now Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,“ Please pray to the Lord our God in our behalf.”Now Jeremiah was still coming and going among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says:‘ This is what you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me:“ Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help you, is going to return to its own land of Egypt.Then the Chaldeans will return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.” ’This is what the Lord says:‘ Do not deceive yourselves, saying,“ The Chaldeans will certainly go away from us,” for they will not go.For even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’ ”Now it happened when the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,that Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin in order to take possession of some property there among the people.While he was at the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah was there; and he arrested Jeremiah the prophet, saying,“ You are deserting to the Chaldeans!”But Jeremiah said,“ A lie! I am not deserting to the Chaldeans”; yet he would not listen to him. So Irijah arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.Then the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they beat him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made it into the prison.For Jeremiah had come into the dungeon, that is, the vaulted cell; and Jeremiah stayed there many days.Now King Zedekiah sent men and took him out; and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said,“ Is there a word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said,“ There is!” Then he said,“ You will be handed over to the king of Babylon!”Moreover, Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah,“ In what way have I sinned against you, or your servants, or this people, that you have put me in prison?And where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying,‘ The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’?But now, please listen, my lord the king; please let my plea come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, so that I will not die there.”Then King Zedekiah gave a command, and they placed Jeremiah in custody in the courtyard of the guardhouse, and gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah( that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon),the word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,“ From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, these twenty three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

“ Say to all the people of the land and to the priests,‘ When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months these seventy years, was it actually for Me that you fasted?

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying,“ This is what the Lord says:‘ Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster which I am planning to inflict on them because of the evil of their deeds.’And you shall say to them,‘ This is what the Lord says:“ If you do not listen to Me, to walk in My Law which I have set before you,to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you again and again, but you have not listened;then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.Yet when Jeremiah finished speaking everything that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying,“ You must die!Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying,‘ This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be in ruins, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered to Jeremiah at the house of the Lord.When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the officials and to all the people, saying,“ A death sentence for this man! For he has prophesied against this city, just as you have heard with your own ears!”Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying,“ The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.Now then, reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you.But as for me, behold, I am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight.Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city and its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words so that you hear them.”Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets,“ No death sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”Then some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,“ Micah of Moresheth used to prophesy in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying,‘ This is what the Lord of armies has said:“ Zion will be plowed like a field, And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the house like the high places of a forest.” ’Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah actually put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and plead for the favor of the Lord, and the Lord relented of the disaster which He had pronounced against them? But we are committing a great evil against our own lives!”Indeed, there was also a man who used to prophesy in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah.When King Jehoiakim and all his warriors and all the officials heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard about it, and he was afraid, so he fled and went to Egypt.Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him, to Egypt.And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who killed him with a sword and threw his dead body into the burial place of the common people.But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not handed over to the people to put him to death.

In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and revolted against him.And the Lord sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets.It indeed came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them from His sight due to the sins of Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done,and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord was unwilling to forgive.Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?So Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.Now the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with all that his father had done.

The sons of Josiah were Johanan, the firstborn, the second was Jehoiakim, the third, Zedekiah, and the fourth, Shallum.

Zedekiah was twenty one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem.He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the Lord.He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the Lord which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.Yet the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against His people, until there was no remedy.So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or frail; He handed them all over to him.He brought all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and his officers, to Babylon.Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles.He took into exile those who had escaped from the sword to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept the Sabbath until seventy years were complete.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying,“ Please inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us in accordance with all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”But Jeremiah said to them,“ You shall say to Zedekiah as follows:‘ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says:“ Behold, I am going to turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the middle of this city.And I Myself will make war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in anger, wrath, and great indignation.I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great plague.Then afterward,” declares the Lord,“ I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, that is, those who survive in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to their enemies, and to those who seek their lives; and he will strike and kill them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.” ’“ You shall also say to this people,‘ This is what the Lord says:“ Behold, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves and goes over to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as plunder.For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord.“ It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.” ’“ Then say to the household of the king of Judah,‘ Hear the word of the Lord,house of David, this is what the Lord says:“ Administer justice every morning; And save the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor, So that My wrath will not spread like fire And burn, with no one to extinguish it, Because of the evil of their deeds.“ Behold, I am against you, you inhabitant of the valley, You rocky plain,” declares the Lord,“ You who say,‘ Who will come down against us? Or who will enter our dwellings?’But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,“ And I will kindle a fire in its forest So that it may devour all its surroundings.” ’ ”

Zedekiah was twenty one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that Jehoiakim had done.For because of the anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a bulwark all around it.So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.Then the city was breached, and all the warriors fled and left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah.But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.And the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah.Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.And he burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire.So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard tore down all the walls around Jerusalem.Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen.But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon.They also took the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service.The captain of the guard also took the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver.The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord— the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, and it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow.Also, a capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with latticework and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates.There were ninety six exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three officers of the temple.He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven of the king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city.Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led into exile from its land.These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the seventh year 3,023 Jews;in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem;in the twenty third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.Now it came about in the thirty seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty fifth of the month, that Evil merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon.So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life.And as his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his control and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities, saying,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says:‘ Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him,“ This is what the Lord says:‘ Behold, I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.And as for you, you will not escape from his hand, for you will assuredly be caught and handed over to him; and you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’ ” ’Yet hear the word of the Lord, Zedekiah king of Judah! This is what the Lord says concerning you:‘ You will not die by the sword.You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will burn spices for you; and they will mourn for you, crying,“ Oh, my lord!” ’ For I have spoken the word,” declares the Lord.Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalemwhen the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah, that is, Lachish and Azekah, for they alone remained as fortified cities among the cities of Judah.The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim release to them:that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, so that no one would keep them, his Jewish brother or sister, in bondage.And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, so that no one would keep them in bondage any longer; they obeyed, and set them free.But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male servants and as female servants.Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says:‘ I made a covenant with your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,“ At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who has been sold to you and has served you for six years, and you shall send him out free from you.” But your forefathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear to Me.Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each one proclaiming release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each person took back his male servant and each his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male and female servants.’“ Therefore this is what the Lord says:‘ You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release, each one to his brother and each to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,’ declares the Lord,‘ to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.I will give the people who have violated My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts—the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the high officials and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf—I will hand them over to their enemies and to those who seek their lives. And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth.Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will also hand over to their enemies and to those who seek their lives, and to the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you.Behold, I am going to give a command,’ declares the Lord,‘ and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.’ ”The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,“ Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.”So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and all the household of the Rechabites,and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was next to the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the doorkeeper.Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups; and I said to them,“ Drink wine!”But they said,“ We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying,‘ You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever.You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed nor plant a vineyard, nor own one; but you shall live in tents all your days, so that you may live many days in the land where you live as strangers.’And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,nor to build ourselves houses to live in; and we do not have a vineyard, a field, or seed.But we have lived only in tents, and have obeyed and have done according to all that our father Jonadab commanded us.However, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said,‘ Come, and let’s go to Jerusalem away from the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans.’ So we have lived in Jerusalem.”Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,“ This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:‘ Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,“ Will you not accept instruction by listening to My words?” declares the Lord.“ The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab have been followed, which he commanded his sons: not to drink wine. And they do not drink wine to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not listened to Me.Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying:‘ Turn now every person from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not follow other gods to worship them. Then you will live in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me.Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have followed the command of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to Me.’ ” ’Therefore this is what the Lord says, the God of armies, the God of Israel:‘ Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.’ ”Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites,“ This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:‘ Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands, and done according to all that he commanded you,therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:“ Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before Me always.” ’ ”