1
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.
2
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
3
For because of the LORD’s anger this came upon Jerusalem and Judah, until he cast them out from his presence. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4
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. They camped against it and built siege works all around it.
5
So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.
6
On the ninth day of the fourth month, when famine had become severe in the city and there was no food left for the people of the land,
7
then the city wall was broken through. When this happened, the king and all the soldiers fled, leaving the city by night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. They went toward the Arabah.
8
But the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; all his army had scattered and left him.
9
They captured the king and brought him to Riblah in the land of Hamath, to the king of Babylon, who pronounced judgment on him.
10
The king of Babylon had Zedekiah’s sons slaughtered before his eyes; he also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah.
11
Then he blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze chains. The king of Babylon brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.
12
In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month — that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon — Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
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He burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house, and all the houses in Jerusalem; every great house he burned with fire.
14
All the walls around Jerusalem were broken down by the Chaldean army that was with the captain of the guard.
15
Some of the poorest people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the deserters who had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile.
16
Only some of the poor of the land Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left behind to be vinedressers and farmers.
17
Also the bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and all their bronze they carried to Babylon.
18
The pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the cups, and all the bronze vessels used in the service were taken by them,
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as well as the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the cups, and the bowls, whatever was of gold and whatever was of silver, the captain of the guard took away.
20
As for the two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weighing.
21
As for the pillars, one pillar was eighteen cubits high, and a measuring line of twelve cubits could encircle it; its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow within.
22
On it was a capital of bronze; the height of the one capital was five cubits, and netting and pomegranates were on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was the same. Concerning the pomegranates,
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there were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were one hundred on the surrounding netting.
24
Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
25
From the city he took one court official who had been appointed over the men of war, and seven personal attendants of the king who were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land for war, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.
26
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27
Then the king of Babylon ordered them to be put to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away into exile from its land.
28
This is the number of the people whom Nebuzaradan carried away into exile: in the seventh year, three thousand twenty-three Judeans;
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in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, eight hundred thirty-two persons from Jerusalem;
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in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile seven hundred forty-five Judeans; the total was four thousand six hundred persons.
31
Then in the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin, king of Judah, had been taken into exile, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon, in the year he became king, showed kindness to Jehoiachin, king of Judah, by releasing him from prison.
32
Evil-Merodach spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat higher than the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.
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Jehoiachin was allowed to change his prison clothes and to eat bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.
34
And for his allowance, the king of Babylon gave him a daily provision as needed, all the days of his life, until the day of his death.
🏛️🔥⛓️ Summary of Jeremiah 52 – The Fall of Jerusalem and the Fate of King Zedekiah
Jeremiah 52 is the historical epilogue of the book of Jeremiah, telling of the fall of Jerusalem, the capture of King Zedekiah, and the exile to Babylon, בדיוק as the prophet Jeremiah had foretold throughout this book. This chapter records in detail how the word of the Lord was fulfilled in a tragic way upon Judah. Yet at the end of the chapter, there is a glimmer of hope: Jehoiachin, the exiled king of Judah, is shown relief by the new king of Babylon. This becomes a sign that even though God’s people are judged, His mercy still burns on.
📌 1. Zedekiah’s Rebellion and Capture (verses 1–11)
“Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king…”
➡️ Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, opposing the Lord’s will through Jeremiah.
➡️ Jerusalem was besieged for 18 months, and at last its wall was broken through.
➡️ Zedekiah fled, but was captured; his children were killed before his eyes, then his eyes were blinded and he was taken to Babylon.
🎯 Whoever rejects the word of the Lord will bear the bitter result of his choice.
📌 2. Jerusalem Burned and the Temple Desecrated (verses 12–23)
“Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, came to Jerusalem…”
➡️ The house of God, the palace, and the houses of the people were burned down.
➡️ All the furnishings of the house of God: the bronze pillars, the sea of bronze, the items of worship were taken to Babylon.
🎯 The symbol of the Lord’s glory was removed because His people rejected the Lord.
📌 3. The People of Judah Taken into Exile (verses 24–30)
➡️ The priests, guards, military leaders, and the people were taken into exile.
➡️ The total number of people exiled by Nebuchadnezzar is given in detail (about 4,600 people).
🎯 The exile was a collective judgment for continued disobedience.
📌 4. A Small Hope: Jehoiachin Released (verses 31–34)
➡️ After 37 years in prison, King Jehoiachin (before Zedekiah) was released by the new king of Babylon, Evil-Merodach.
➡️ He was given an honored place and a regular allowance for life.
🎯 This is a symbol of restoration and hope, though small, that God was not finished with His people.
📖 Main Teaching
- God’s word is surely fulfilled, whether blessing or judgment
- Pride and rejection of God’s word will bring ruin
- Jerusalem and the Temple are not an automatic guarantee if the people’s hearts are corrupt
- God allows exile as a form of severe discipline
- Even in judgment, God provides a seed of hope
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Luke 19:44
“You did not know the time when God visited you.”
➡️ Jesus wept over Jerusalem, just as Jeremiah did, because their rejection brought ruin.
📖 Hebrews 12:6
“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves.”
➡️ Exile is not the end, but God’s way of training and purifying His people.
📖 Romans 11:22
“Consider the kindness and severity of God…”
➡️ God judged Jerusalem, yet still showed mercy to Jehoiachin.
📖 2 Timothy 2:13
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful…”
➡️ Even when the people fail, the Lord still keeps the promise of restoration.
🕊️ “Jerusalem was burned and the house of the LORD was torn down.” – Jeremiah 52:13
🕊️ “Zedekiah’s children were killed… then his eyes were blinded.” – Jeremiah 52:10–11
🕊️ “All the ornaments of the house of God were taken to Babylon.” – Jeremiah 52:17–23
🕊️ “King Jehoiachin was released from prison and given a regular allowance all the days of his life.” – Jeremiah 52:31–34
