How does Jerusalem fall, what happens to Sedecias and the people left in Juda, and how does Joachin’s captivity change?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Jerusalem is breached after siege and famine. Sedecias is captured, judged, blinded and taken to Babylon after his sons are killed before him; Nabuzardan burns the houses and carries people and vessels away. Godolias governs those left, but Ismael kills him and others, and the people go to Egypt fearing the Chaldees. Later Evilmerodach brings Joachin out of prison, treats him kindly and gives him a daily allowance for life.

Chapter breakdown

In the ninth year of Sedecias’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, comes against Jerusalem with all his army. They surround it and build works around it. The city remains shut up and besieged until Sedecias’s eleventh year. The account gives the ninth day of the month, says famine prevails and records that the people of the land have no bread.

A breach is made in the city. All the men of war flee at night between the two walls by the king’s garden while the Chaldees surround the city. Sedecias flees along the way to the wilderness plains. The Chaldean army pursues and overtakes him in the plains of Jericho; all his warriors scatter and leave him. They take him to Babylon’s king at Reblatha, where the king judges him. The king kills Sedecias’s sons before his face, puts out his eyes, binds him with chains and brings him to Babylon.

On the seventh day of the fifth month, in Babylon’s king’s nineteenth year, Nabuzardan comes into Jerusalem. He is the army commander and a servant of Babylon’s king. He burns the Lord’s house, the king’s house and Jerusalem’s houses; the account says every house is burned with fire. All the Chaldean army with the troop commander breaks down Jerusalem’s walls all around.

Nabuzardan carries away the rest of the people still in the city, the fugitives who had gone over to Babylon’s king and the remnant of the common people. But from the poor of the land he leaves some vine dressers and husbandmen.

The Chaldees break the temple’s brass pillars, bases and brass sea into pieces and carry all their brass to Babylon. They also take the brass pots, mazers, forks, cups, mortars and all the brass vessels used in service. The general takes the censers and bowls, the gold ones in gold and the silver ones in silver. The account names two pillars, one sea and the bases Solomon made in the temple, and says their brass was without weight. One pillar is eighteen cubits high; its brass chapiter is three cubits high, with brass network and pomegranates upon it. The second pillar has the same adornment.

The general takes Seraias the chief priest, Sophonias the second priest and three doorkeepers. From the city he takes one eunuch who commands the men of war, five men who had stood before the king and were found in the city, Sopher the army captain who trained the young soldiers of the land’s people, and sixty common men found in the city. Nabuzardan takes these men to Babylon’s king at Reblatha. The king strikes and kills them at Reblatha in Emath. Thus Juda is carried away from its land.

Nabuchodonosor gives government over the people he left in Juda to Godolias, son of Ahicam, son of Saphan. When all the soldiers’ captains and their men hear that Babylon’s king has made him governor, they come to him at Maspha: Ismael son of Nathanias, Johanan son of Caree, Saraia son of Thanehumeth the Netophathite, and Jezonias son of Maachathi, with their men. Godolias swears to them and their men, telling them not to fear serving the Chaldees, to stay in the land and serve Babylon’s king, and that it will be well with them.

In the seventh month, Ismael, son of Nathanias, son of Elisama, of royal descent, comes with ten men. He strikes Godolias so that he dies, and also the Jews and Chaldees with him in Maspha. All the people, little and great, and the soldiers’ captains rise and go to Egypt because they fear the Chaldees.

In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Joachin, king of Juda, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, brings him out of prison in the year he begins to reign. He speaks kindly to Joachin and sets his throne above those of the kings with him in Babylon. Joachin’s prison garments are changed, and he eats bread continually before the king all the days of his life. The king appoints him a continual allowance, given day by day for all the days of his life.

The story inside

The siege opens with a regnal year, month and day, surrounds Jerusalem with all Babylon’s army and continues until Sedecias’s eleventh year. Famine and no bread precede the breach and night flight. The men of war flee between two walls by the garden, while Sedecias follows the wilderness route. The pursuit reaches Jericho; his warriors scatter, and capture leads to judgment at Reblatha, the killing of his sons before him, blinding, chains and removal to Babylon. Nabuzardan’s dated arrival leads to burning the houses and the army’s breaking the walls. He carries away three named groups but leaves some poor vine dressers and husbandmen. The account describes the brass objects broken and carried away, each smaller vessel type, the gold and silver distinctions, the pillars and sea, and the pillar measurements and decoration. Captured priests, officers and common men have named offices and counts; they are taken to Reblatha and killed by Babylon’s king. Godolias is then appointed over those left in Juda. Named captains and men come to Maspha on hearing of the appointment, and his oath tells them to stay and serve without fear. Ismael comes with ten men and kills Godolias and the Jews and Chaldees with him. The people and captains go to Egypt because they fear the Chaldees. Finally a later captivity date places Evilmerodach’s kindness to Joachin in his accession year. Release, a higher throne, changed prison garments, bread before the king and a daily allowance for life close the account. Those actions are narrated without an added motive for the killing or a doctrine about future redemption.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The dates should be kept as dates. The siege begins in the ninth regnal year, tenth month and tenth day, and continues into the eleventh year; the famine passage gives a ninth day without naming its month here. Nabuzardan’s arrival has its own fifth-month seventh-day date and nineteenth regnal year. Preserving those details avoids replacing them with a duration the admitted chapter does not fully specify.
2
The removals include concrete exceptions and quantities. Nabuzardan carries the remaining city people, those who went over to Babylon’s king and the common remnant, but leaves some poor vine dressers and husbandmen. The vessels have named types and metals, and the captives have exact offices and counts. Those details describe what happens without assuming all institutions or every person have vanished.
3
Godolias’s promise and Joachin’s treatment are separate events. Godolias swears that staying and serving Babylon’s king will be well for the men, but Ismael’s attack is followed by flight to Egypt out of fear. Much later, Evilmerodach brings Joachin out of prison and grants kindness, rank, food and a daily lifetime allowance. The account does not describe an alternative outcome had Godolias lived or label Joachin’s treatment as a messianic promise.

Test your recall

How do breach and pursuit lead to Sedecias’s judgment, which people are carried away or left, what objects and captive counts are named, how do Godolias’s appointment and Ismael’s attack lead to Egypt, and what changes for Joachin on the dated release?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 41023–41039
4 Kings Chapter 25 Jerusalem is besieged and taken by Nabuchodonosor: Sedecias is taken: the city and temple are destroyed. Godolias, who is left governor, is slain. Joachin is exalted by Evilmerodach. 25:1. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, that Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem: and they surrounded it: and raised works round about it. 25:2. And the city was shut up and besieged till the eleventh year of king Sedecias, 25:3. The ninth day of the month: and a famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
Lines 41040–41054
25:4. And a breach was made into the city: and all the men of war fled in the night between the two walls by the king’s garden (now the Chaldees besieged the city round about), and Sedecias fled by the way that leadeth to the plains of the wilderness. 25:5. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all the warriors that were with him were scattered, and left him: 25:6. So they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha, and he gave judgment upon him. 25:7. And he slew the sons of Sedecias before his face, and he put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and brought him to Babylon.
Lines 41055–41064
25:8. In the fifth month, the seventh day of the month, the same is the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, came Nabuzardan, commander of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem. 25:9. And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every house he burnt with fire. 25:10. And all the army of the Chaldees, which was with the commander of the troops, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Lines 41065–41071
25:11. And Nabuzardan, the commander of the army, carried away the rest of the people, that remained in the city, and the fugitives, that had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people. 25:12. But of the poor of the land he left some dressers of vines and husbandmen.
Lines 41072–41093
25:13. And the pillars of brass that were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass, which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldees broke in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon. 25:14. They took away also the pots of brass, and the mazers, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the vessels of brass, with which they ministered. 25:15. Moreover also the censers, and the bowls, such as were of gold in gold: and such as were of silver in silver, the general of the army took away. 25:16. That is, two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made in the temple of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight. 25:17. One pillar was eighteen cubits high: and the chapiter of brass, which was upon it, was three cubits high: and the network, and the pomegranates that were upon the chapiter of the pillar, were all of brass: and the second pillar had the like adorning.
Lines 41094–41108
25:18. And the general of the army took Seraias, the chief priest, and Sophonias, the second priest, and three doorkeepers: 25:19. And out of the city one eunuch, who was captain over the men of war: and five men of them who had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher, the captain of the army, who exercised the young soldiers of the people of the land: and threescore men of the common people, who were found in the city: 25:20. These Nabuzardan, the general of the army, took away, and carried them to the king of Babylon, to Reblatha. 25:21. And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Reblatha, in the land of Emath: so Juda was carried away out of their land.
Lines 41109–41123
25:22. But over the people that remained in the land of Juda, which Nabuchodonosor, king of Babylon, had left, he gave the government to Godolias, the son of Ahicam, the son of Saphan. 25:23. And when all the captains of the soldiers had heard this, they and the men that were with them, to wit, that the king of Babylon had made Godolias governor they came to Godolias to Maspha, Ismael, the son of Nathanias, and Johanan, the son of Caree, and Saraia, the son of Thanehumeth, the Netophathite, and Jezonias, the son of Maachathi, they and their men. 25:24. And Godolias swore to them and to their men, saying: Be not afraid to serve the Chaldees: stay in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
Lines 41124–41131
25:25. But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ismael, the son of Nathanias, the son of Elisama, of the seed royal came, and ten men with him, and smote Godolias; so that he died: and also the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him in Maspha. 25:26. And all the people, both little and great, and the captains of the soldiers, rising up, went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldees.
Lines 41132–41149
25:27. And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Joachin, king of Juda, in the twelfth month, the seven and twentieth day of the month: Evilmerodach, king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Joachin, king of Juda, out of prison. 25:28. And he spoke kindly to him: and he set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon. 25:29. And he changed his garments which he had in prison, and he ate bread always before him, all the days of his life. 25:30. And he appointed him a continual allowance, which was also given him by the king, day by day, all the days of his life.