Jeremiah 52

1 Zedekiah [a son of twenty-one years, one and twenty years old] was twenty-one years old when he became king [began to reign, started his rule], and he reigned [ruled, was in power] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city] eleven years. His mother’s [female parent, maternal figure] name was Hamutal [father-in-law’s gift, a wife of King Josiah] daughter of Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed, a major prophet]; she was from Libnah [a city in Palestine, originally a Canaanite royal city]. word study 2 And Zedekiah did [that which was] evil [bad, morally wrong] in the sight [eye, gaze] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], just as [according to all that] Jehoiakim had done [committed, made]. word study 3 For because of the anger [wrath] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], all this happened in Jerusalem [the city of peace] and Judah [the tribe descended from Judah], until He finally banished [cast them out, threw them away] them from His presence [face, being in front of someone]. And Zedekiah [Jehovah is righteous] also rebelled [resisted, defied authority] against the king [royal person, ruler] of Babylon [confusion, mixing]. word study 4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth [a time of fulfillment] month, Nebuchadnezzar [the king of Babylon, a powerful ruler] king of Babylon [a city of confusion, a center of worldly power] marched against Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Judah] with his entire army [all his military strength, his whole force]. They encamped [pitched their tents, set up camp] outside the city and built a siege wall [a wall of attack, a fortification] all around it [encompassing the city, surrounding it on every side]. word study 5 And the city [town, fortified place] was kept under siege [besieged, surrounded by enemy forces] until King [royal ruler, monarch] Zedekiah’s [Jehovah is righteous] eleventh year [period of time, annual cycle]. word study 6 By the ninth [in the fourth month, on the ninth day] day of the fourth month, the famine [hunger, lack of spiritual nourishment] in the city [a place with a wall, a watchman] was so severe [sore, extremely painful] that the people [a nation, a group of individuals] of the land [the soil, a country] had no [none, an absence of] food [bread, grain, sustenance]. word study 7 Then the city [was broken up, breached] was breached; and though the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia] had surrounded [encircled, besieged] the city, all [every single one] the men of war [soldiers, warriors] fled [escaped, ran away] the city by night [in the darkness, under cover of night] by way of the gate [entrance, doorway] between [situated between, amidst] the two walls [barriers, fortifications] near [adjacent to, by] the king’s [royal, belonging to the monarch] garden [enclosed area, paradise]. They headed [went, journeyed] toward [in the direction of] the Arabah [plain, wilderness, desert region], word study 8 but the army [forces, military might] of the Chaldeans [Babylonians, people of Chaldea] pursued [chased, followed after] the king [royal person, ruler] and overtook [caught up with, reached] Zedekiah [Jehovah is righteous] in the plains [desert, wilderness] of Jericho [its moon, a city in Palestine], and all [everything, every part] his army [strength, might, military power] was separated [scattered, dispersed] from him. word study 9 The Chaldeans [captors, Babylonian soldiers] seized [to capture, take hold of] the king and brought him up [to ascend, rise] to the king [ruler, sovereign] of Babylon [Babel, city of confusion] at Riblah [a town in Syria, a place of fertility] in the land [earth, territory] of Hamath [an ancient city, a region], where he pronounced [to speak, give judgment] judgment [justice] on Zedekiah. word study 10 There at Riblah [a town in Syria, on the road between Babylon and Palestine] the king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [a city and empire, meaning confusion or mixing] slaughtered [to massacre, kill] the sons [descendants, offspring] of Zedekiah [Jehovah is righteous] before his eyes [in his sight, presence], and he also [too, additionally] killed [put to death, slew] all [everything, every one] the officials [rulers, leaders] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob]. word study 11 Then he put out [gouged out, blinded] Zedekiah’s eyes [the organs of sight, spiritual perception], bound him with [chaining him in, fettering] bronze [copper, a base metal] shackles [fetters, chains], and took him to [carried him away to, brought him into] Babylon [a city of confusion, Babel], where he kept him in [imprisoned, held in custody] custody [prison, a place of punishment] until [as far as, till the point of] his dying [last, final] day [a period of time, a lifetime]. word study 12 On the tenth [in the fifth month, the month of Av] day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth [nearly two decades] year of Nebuchadnezzar’s [king of Babylon, a powerful ruler] reign over Babylon [the city of confusion], Nebuzaradan [a high-ranking official] captain of the guard, a servant [or officer] of the king of Babylon, entered [came into, invaded] Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Judah]. word study 13 He burned down the house [dwelling place, temple] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], the royal [king’s] palace, and all [every] the houses [dwelling places, buildings] of Jerusalem [the city of peace]—every [all] significant [great, important] building [structure, edifice]. word study 14 And the whole [entire, all-inclusive] army [forces, strength] of the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia] under [with, near] the captain [chief, commander] of the guard [lifeguardsman, executioner] broke down [tore down, destroyed] all [every, everything] the walls [barriers, fortifications] around [surrounding, encompassing] Jerusalem [the city of peace, capital of Palestine]. word study 15 Then Nebuzaradan [the Babylonian general] captain of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest [most helpless, destitute] people and those who remained [were left behind, spared] in the city, along with the deserters [those who fell away, defected] who had defected [fallen to, joined] to the king of Babylon [the ruler of the Babylonian empire] and the rest [remainder, excess] of the craftsmen [skilled workers, artisans]. word study 16 But Nebuzaradan [the Babylonian general, chief of the executioners] captain of the guard [or chief of the lifeguardsmen, a high-ranking officer] left behind [to remain, spare, or reserve] some of the poorest [most helpless, like a loose thread] of the land [the soil, country, or territory] to tend [care for, cultivate] the vineyards [or to be vinedressers] and fields [or to till the land, work as husbandmen]. word study 17 Moreover, the Chaldeans [inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia] broke up the bronze [copper or something made of it] pillars [a pillar or column] and stands [bases or pedestals, providing a foundation] and the bronze Sea [a large body of water, specifically the west or seaward direction] in the house [dwelling place, including a family home, temple, or even the human body] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], and they carried all the bronze [everything made of copper or something base] to Babylon [a city and empire, meaning confusion or mixing]. word study 18 They also took away the pots [caldrons, large vessels], shovels [used for digging and lifting], wick trimmers [snuffers, for trimming lamp wicks], sprinkling bowls [basins, for holding liquids], dishes [spoons, utensils], and all the articles [utensils, vessels] of bronze [copper, a base metal] used in the temple service [to minister, serve in worship]. word study 19 The captain [chief steward, commander] of the guard also took away the basins [cups, bowls], censers [firepans, incense dishes], sprinkling bowls [caldrons], pots [sacrificial vessels], lampstands [candlesticks], pans [spoons, dishes], and drink offering bowls [libation vessels]—anything made of pure gold [refined, precious metal] or fine silver [valuable, shining metal]. word study 20 As for the two [a pair] pillars, the Sea [a large body of water], the twelve bronze [copper or brass] bulls [domesticated cattle] under it, and the movable stands [bases or pedestals] that King [melech, a ruler or monarch] Solomon [a king of Israel] had made [to create or fashion] for the house [a dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah], the weight [a measure of heaviness] of the bronze [nechushtan] from all these articles [utensils or vessels] was beyond measure [lo hayah, without weight or limit]. word study 21 Each pillar [column, standing support] was eighteen cubits [about 27 feet, a unit of measurement] tall and twelve cubits [approximately 18 feet, the length of a forearm] in circumference; each was hollow [empty, without solid filling], four fingers [about 3 inches, a measure of thickness] thick. word study 22 The bronze [copper or brass, a base metal] capital [chapiter, the top part of a column] atop one pillar was five [exactly, a specific quantity] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm] high, with a network [latticework, a decorative pattern] of bronze [copper or brass, a base metal] pomegranates [a fruit or tree, used as an ornament] all around [surrounding, encompassing]. The second [another, a duplicate] pillar, with its pomegranates [similar to the first], was similar [like, identical]. word study 23 Each capital had ninety-six [ninety and six] pomegranates [ornaments] on the sides, and a total of a hundred [one hundred, a complete quantity] pomegranates were above the surrounding [encompassing, all-around] network [latticework, intricate design]. word study 24 The captain [chief, commander] of the guard [executioners, lifeguardsmen] also took away Seraiah [Jehovah is ruler] the chief [head, principal] priest [one who serves God and leads others in worship], Zephaniah [God has treasured] the priest [one who serves God] of second [duplicate, secondary] rank [position, authority], and the three [thrice, a small group] doorkeepers [those who protect, attend to, or guard the entrance]. word study 25 Of those still in the city [remaining, left behind], he took a court official [eunuch, high-ranking servant] who had been appointed over the men of war [army, military forces], as well as seven trusted royal advisers [near the king’s person, in the king’s presence]. He also took the scribe [secretary, recorder] of the captain of the army [commander, leader], who had enlisted [mustered, gathered] the people of the land [nation, territory], and sixty men who were found [discovered, located] in the city [town, urban area]. word study 26 Nebuzaradan [the Babylonian general, chief of the executioners] captain [chief, leader] of the guard [lifeguardsmen, executioners] took [seized, captured] them and brought [led, conducted] them to [toward, before] the king [ruler, sovereign] of Babylon [the city of confusion, Babel] at [in the city of] Riblah [a town in Syria, a place of fertility]. word study 27 There at Riblah [a town in Syria, meaning fertility] in the land [region, territory] of Hamath [an ancient city in Syria], the king [royal person, ruler] of Babylon [a city and empire, meaning confusion] struck them down [smiting, hitting] and put them to death [executed, killed]. So Judah [the tribe descended from Judah] was taken into exile [carried away captive, forced to leave], away from its own land [territory, homeland]. word study 28 These are the people [whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive] Nebuchadnezzar [the powerful king of Babylon] carried away: in the seventh year, 3,023 [three thousand and twenty-three] Jews [people of Judah, the tribe of Judah]; word study 29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s [the king of Babylon, a powerful ruler] eighteenth [in the eighteenth year of his reign] year, 832 [eight hundred thirty-two, a large number of] people [souls, living beings] from Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Judah]; word study 30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s [the king of Babylon, ruler of the Chaldean empire] twenty-third year, Nebuzaradan [the captain of the guard, chief steward] captain of the guard [chief of the lifeguardsmen, executioner] carried away [took captive, deported] 745 [seven hundred forty and five] Jews [people of Judah, Israelites]. So in all [everything, the total], 4,600 [four thousand six hundred] people [souls, living beings] were taken away [carried into exile, removed]. word study 31 On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile [captivity, being taken away] of Jehoiachin [Jehovah establishes] king of Judah, in the first year [initial year of reign] of the reign of Evil-merodach [son of Nebuchadnezzar] king of Babylon, he pardoned [lifted up, showed favor to] Jehoiachin king of Judah and released [brought out, set free] him from prison [house of confinement, place of restraint]. word study 32 And he spoke kindly [with good words] to Jehoiachin and set his throne [a symbol of power and authority] above the thrones [seats of royal power] of the other kings [rulers, monarchs] who were with [in the company of, near] him in Babylon [a city of confusion, a place of exile]. word study 33 So Jehoiachin changed [replaced, took off] out of his prison [place of confinement] clothes, and he dined [ate bread, had meals] regularly [continually, every day] at the king’s [ruler’s, sovereign’s] table [in the king’s presence] for the rest [remainder, all the days] of his life [existence, time on earth]. word study 34 And the king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [city of confusion, Babel] provided Jehoiachin a daily [every day, continually] portion [ration, food allowance] for the rest of his life [all his days, until the end of his days], until the day [time, appointed time] of his death [end of life, mortal demise]. word study