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CHAPTER 25
Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem—Zedekiah is captured,
Jerusalem and the temple destroyed, and most of Judah carried into
Babylon—Gedaliah, left to govern the remnant, is slain—The
remnant flee to Egypt—Jehoiachin is shown favor in Babylon.
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After Nebuchadnezzar defeats the advancing and encroaching Egyptians in the desert, he again besieges Jerusalem from the ninth year, tenth month, and the tenth day of the reign of Zedekiah to the eleveth year, fourth month, and ninth day when the famine in the city prevailed and Jerusalem was broken up—During Zedekiah's attempted escape he was overtaken and captured in the plains of Jericho with certain of his army being scattered from him—Jerusalem and the temple burned and destroyed with most of Judah being carried away to Babylon—Gedaliah is left to govern the remnant but is slain and then that remnant flees to Egypt carrying away with them Jeremiah—Jehoiachin is shown favor in Babylon | |
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1 And it came to pass in the aninth year
of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month,
that bNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and
all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they
cbuilt forts against it round about.
2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. |
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4 ¶ And the acity was
abroken up, and all the men of war fled by night by
the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden:
(now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the
king went the way toward the plain.
5 And the army of the Chaldees apursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were bscattered from hima.
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5a all his army were scattered from him It is quite evident that all who temporarially escaped at this time with King Zedekiah were not captured and taken by the Babylonian forces, but merely scattered. The forces of the Chaldees being satisfied with the capture of King Zedekiah. There is ample opportunity given that a son of King Zedekiah could have either escaped or could have at some time been secretted away to preserve the House of Zedekiah. The Book of Mormon attest to this fact in that Mulek, the 'little king', son of Zedekiah did escape and with a party and means enough to make his escape secure by fleeing to the ends of the little known earth, the Americas. The Book of Mormon states that 'the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north' (Helaman 6:10). | |
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6 So they took the aking, and
brought him up to the king of bBabylon to Riblah; and they
gave cjudgment upon him.
7 And they slew the asons of Zedekiah before his eyesa, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and bcarried him to cBabylon. |
7a And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes Though presumed by many to mean 'ALL' of the sons of King Zedekiah, the operative word 'ALL' is missing from the text of the Bible. One is left to presume that those sons of Zedekiah which could be rounded up were slain before his eyes before his eyes were put out. This was to place before Zedekiah the image that his 'seed' had completely been cut off forever, but since Zedekiah did not see 'ALL' of his sons slain, for at least Mulek escaped', the hope of an heir still could be had in the 32 year old King, Zedekiah. | |
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8 ¶ And in the fifth month, on the seventh
day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came aNebuzar-adan, captain
of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
9 And he aburnt the bhouse of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house cburnt he with firea. 10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. |
9a and every great man's house burnt he with fire Since Lehi was a great and wealthy man who held a house at Jerusalem, it may be presumed that this was the fate of Lehi's 'townhouse' in the city of Jerusalem. What Laman and Lemuel kept wanting to return to in order to posses was burnt and destoryed as Jerusalem was destoryed as their father Lehi had prophesied. | |
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11 Now the rest of the people that were left
in the citya, and the fugitives
that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude,
did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard acarry
awaya.
12 But the captain of the guard left of the apoor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmena. |
11a the rest of the people that
were left inthe city ... did Nebuzar-adan the captian of the guard carry
away Those of the city were either dead or as stated they were
carried away presumably to Babylon. This would have been the likely fate of
the 'city minded' Laman and Lemuel if they had returned to Jerusalem. 12a But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers adn husbandmen This would have been the fate of all who served in the fields outside of the city of Jerusalem who were considered the 'poor'. Lehi's lands of inheritance were outside Jerusalem, likely down to the south. Thus Lehi's trusted 'servants' who had preserved unto the house of Lehi all of his riches after the departure of Lehi, which Lehi's sons did attempt to be traded for the plates of brass, all these poor of the land where preserved in the land and their 'wealthy' land masters, they who had their fancy houses in Jerusalem, were to be made captives in Babylon, quite the just reward to those who would not let their Hebrew servants go free as required by the Temple Covenants and the Law of Moses. |
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13 And the apillars of brass that
were in the house of the LORD, and the bbases, and
the brasen csea that was in the house of the LORD,
did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to
dBabylon.
14 And the apots, and the shovels, and the bsnuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. 15 And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. |
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16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which
Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these
avessels was without weight.
17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work. |
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18 ¶ And the captain of the guard took
aSeraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest,
and the bthree keepers of the door:
19 And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the amen of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the citya: 20 And Nebuzar-adan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: 21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and aslew them at Riblah in the land of Hamatha. So Judah was carried away out of their land. |
19a and threescore men of the people of
the land that were found in the city Without knowing of
the political arrangement of the society of the Jews, the significance of
these '60' found 'men of the people of the land' would escape unnoticed. But
when one understands that according to the system of the Jews, that the
'Sarim', the princes, the rulers, the governing elders of the 'church' or of
the Law of Moses, even the system of those associated with the appointed '70'
judging rulers of Israel in the day of Moses, which survived even down to the
time of Christ as the Sanhedrin; might be lost. And their fate was prophesied
by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 34:20-21.
21a the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath Thus was the fate of the wicked princes and rulers of the Jews in the days of Jeremiah, they who had placed Jeremiah in prison and who had sought the life of Lehi and of the other such prophets who were sent ot warn the people. |
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22 ¶ And as for the people that remained
in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over
them he made aGedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, ruler.
23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you. |
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25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.
26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees. |
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27 ¶ And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;
28 And he spake akindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; 29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. 30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life. |
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