Jeremiah 52:1-11--The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted

Jeremiah 52:1-11
English Standard Version

The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted
52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 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. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 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. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

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The end of the last chapter was the end of the writings of Jeremiah the prophet, but there is one final chapter that has a theme of "Everything happened exactly the way the LORD said it would."  In this passage, we recount the fall and destruction of the city of Jerusalem (with the exception of the Temple, which is in the next section of text).  The passage is written in a similar style as that of the book of Chronicles, which we know was written by the priests.  The author wants us to know first and foremost that Zedekiah was a bad king who did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  He followed in the footsteps of Jehoiakim, and it was at this time that the LORD finally allowed Jerusalem to be captured and destroyed and its people to be taken into exile.

Zedekiah refused to surrender to the Babylonians as the LORD commanded and instead rebelled against the king of Babylon, so Nebuchadnezzar made war against Zedekiah and Jerusalem.  Zedekiah ran for his life, but was captured and then passed judgment on him (more on that in a second).  The king of Babylon slaughtered all the government officials that went along with the king and did not heed the word of the LORD given through the prophet Jeremiah, but he kept the king alive.  He gouged out the eyes of the king of Judah and put him in prison so that he would be unable to lead any king of rebellion or revolt.  He was kept in prison until the day of his death.

If only he had listened to the LORD when Jeremiah spoke to him.  Things could have gone much better for him and the people of Judah.