Be Reminded

… for Hashem is a God of retribution; He will surely exact recompense.

51:56

Nothing is hidden or in secret in the eyes of G-d.

King Zedekiah’s glimpse during his time as ruler and king. His ending is unfortunate, and is caused by his disobedience in heeding the word of G-d as delivered by His servant the prophet Jeremiah.

“Zedekiah’s Reign, Capture And Death”

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
52:1
He did what was evil in the eyes of Hashem, like everything that Jehoiakim had done.
52:2
It was because the wrath of Hashem was upon Jerusalem and Judah, until He would cast them away from His presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylonia.
52:3
The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah at the plains of Jericho and his entire army dispersed from him.
:8
and he blinded Zedekiah’s eyes, then they bound him in copper chains; the king of Babylonia brought him to Babylonia, where he was put in the place of detention until the day of his death.
:11
… Nebuzaradan, the chief executioner, [who] was in the service of the king of Babylonia, came to Jerusalem.
:12
He burned the Temple of Hashem, the king’s palace and all the buildings of Jerusalem; and every great house he burned in fire.
:13
The copper pillars of the Temple of Hashem, and the laver-stands and the copper sea that were in the Temple of Hashem, the Chaldeans shattered and carried off their copper to Babylonia.
:17
The two pillars, the one sea, the twelve copper oxen that were near the laver-stands that King Solomon had made for the Temple of Hashem — there was no weight [with which to measure] the copper of all these items.
:20
… Evil-merodach, the king of Babylonia, in the year of his coronation, elevated Jehoiachin king of Judah and released him from prison.
:31
He spoke kindly with him, and set his seat above the seats of the [other] kings who were with him in Babylonia.
:32
He changed [from] his prison clothing, and he ate [his] meal before him regularly, all the days of his life.
:33

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.
2 And he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, like all that Jehoiakim had done.
3 Because the wrath of the Lord was against Jerusalem and against Judah until He cast them away from before His presence, Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 And it was in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon came, he and his entire army, against Jerusalem and encamped against it, and they built works of siege around it.
5 And the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 In the fourth month, on the ninth of the month, the famine became severe in the city, and the people of the land had no food.
7 The city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and emerged from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls that was near the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were surrounding the city, and they went by way of the Arabah.
8 And the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah on the plains of Jericho, and all his army had scattered and deserted him.
9 And they seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and called him to account.
10 And the king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, and also, all the princes of Judah he slaughtered in Riblah.
11 And he blinded Zedekiah’s eyes, and he bound him with copper chains and brought him to the king of Babylon, to Babylon, and he placed him in the prison until the day of his death.
12 And in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month- that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon-Nebuzaradan the chief executioner, came [and] stood before the king of Babylon in Jerusalem.
13 And he burnt the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem and all the houses of the dignitaries he burnt with fire.
14 The entire army of the Chaldeans that was with the chief executioner demolished all the walls of Jerusalem around.
15 And Nebuzaradan the chief executioner exiled some of the poorest of the people and the remnant of the people who remained in the city, and the defectors who defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the populace.
16 Now the chief executioner left over some of the poorest of the land as vine-dressers and farmers.
17 And the Chaldeans broke the copper pillars that were in the house of the Lord and the bases and the copper sea that was in the house of the Lord, and they carried off all their copper to Babylon.
18 And they took the pots and the shovels and the musical instruments and the basins and the spoons and all the copper vessels with which they served.
19 And the chief executioner took the pitchers, the censers, the basins, the pots, the candelabra, the spoons, and the frames both of gold and of silver.
20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the cattle that were beside the bases that Solomon had made for the house of the Lord; there was no weight for the copper of all these vessels.
21 And the pillars-the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits and a thread of twelve cubits would encircle it, and its thickness was four fingers, hollow.
22 And there was a capital of copper upon it, and the height of the one capital was five cubits, and a net, and pomegranates on the capital around, all was copper. And such did the second pillar have, and pomegranates.
23 And the pomegranates were ninety-six to the outside; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the net all around.
24 And the chief executioner took Seraiah the head priest and Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three keepers of the utensils.
25 And from the city he took one eunuch who was appointed over the men of war, and seven men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the general of the army, who would muster out the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.
26 And Nebuzaradan the chief executioner took them and brought them to the king of Babylon, to Riblah.
27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and killed them in Riblah in the land of Hamath, and Judah went into exile off its land.
28 This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar exiled in the seventh year: Jehudahites three thousand and twenty-three.
29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar, [he exiled] from Jerusalem eight hundred and thirty-two people.
30 In the twenty-third year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzaradan the chief executioner exiled [of the] Jews seven hundred and forty-five souls, all the souls [totaled] four thousand and six hundred.
31 And it was in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the year of his coronation, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah and released him from prison.
32 And he spoke with him kindly and placed his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon.
33 And he changed his prison garb, and he ate meals before him regularly all the days of his life.
34 And his meals, regular meals were given him from the king of Babylon, each day’s need in its day, all the days of his life.