2 Kings 25:5-7

25:5 But the Babylonian army chased after the king. They caught up with him in the plains of Jericho, ¹  and his entire army deserted him. 25:6 They captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, ²  where he ³  passed sentence on him. 25:7 Zedekiah’s sons were executed while Zedekiah was forced to watch. ⁴  The king of Babylon ⁵  then had Zedekiah’s eyes put out, bound him in bronze chains, and carried him off to Babylon.

[25:5]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[25:6]  ² sn Riblah was a strategic town on the Orontes River in Syria. It was at a crossing of the major roads between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Pharaoh Necho had earlier received Jehoahaz there and put him in chains (2 Kgs 23:33) prior to taking him captive to Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar had set up his base camp for conducting his campaigns against the Palestinian states there and was now sitting in judgment on prisoners brought to him.

[25:6]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has the plural form of the verb, but the parallel passage in Jer 52:9 has the singular.

[25:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “were killed before his eyes.”

[25:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.