The Cave of Treasures 63
The Capture of Jerusalem
Zedekiah was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem with mother Hamtal from Libnah. Themes: Divine Judgment and the Flood
1edekiah was twenty years old when [he began] to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Hamtal, the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. And he did that which was evil before the Lord, even as did Jehoiakim, and the wrath of the Lord was (i.e. fell upon) Jerusalem.
2 And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babel, and in the ninth year of his kingdom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babel, came against Jerusalem, and the city was fettered with affliction (i.e. besieged) until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And the city was rent open (i.e. its wall was breached), and all the mighty men of war fled from the city by night by way of the plain.
3 And the soldiers of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him on the plain of Jericho, and all his soldiers were driven away from him; and the Chaldeans captured Zedekiah and took him up to the king of Babel at Debhlath (Riblah), and he passed judgment upon him. And the king of Babel slew the sons of Zedekiah the king before his eyes, and he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and carried him to Babel.
4 And Simeon the high priest, because he had freedom of speech with the commander of the [Chaldean] army, made entreaty to him, and the commander of the army gave him all the books of the Scriptures and did not burn them; and Simeon the high priest gathered them together and cast them into a pit (or dry well).
5 And Jerusalem was laid waste and made desolate, and no man remained therein except Jeremiah, the Prophet, who sat and raised lamentations over it for twenty years. And Jeremiah, the Prophet, died in Samaria, and the priest Ür buried him in Jerusalem, according to the oath which the prophet made him to swear.
6 Now up to the time of the destruction of Jerusalem the Hebrew, Greek, and Syrian writers were in possession of the truth, and they were able to produce the registers of the genealogies of the tribes and the people. But from the destruction of Jerusalem and onwards there has been no truth in their writings, except as regards the heads of the tribes (i.e. the Patriarchs), and they are unable to prove whence the succession of the priests took its origin.
Did You Know?
Zedekiah was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem with mother Hamtal from Libnah.
Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem in Zedekiah's ninth year and besieged it until the wall was breached in the eleventh year.
Chaldean soldiers overtook Zedekiah on the plain of Jericho, slew his sons before his eyes, then blinded and chained him for Babel.
Simeon the high priest obtained the Scripture books from the Chaldean commander and cast them into a pit so they were not burned.
Jeremiah alone remained in desolate Jerusalem raising lamentations for twenty years, then died in Samaria and was buried by priest Ür.
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