Antiquities Book 10, Chapter 8
How The King Of Babylon Took Jerusalem And Burnt The Temple And Removed The People Of Jerusalem And Zedekiah To Babylon. As Also, Who They Were That Had Succeeded In The High Priesthood Under The Kings.
1. Now the king of Babylon was very intent and earnest upon the siege of
Jerusalem; and he erected towers upon great banks of earth, and from
them repelled those that stood upon the walls; he also made a great
number of such banks round about the whole city, whose height was equal
to those walls. However, those that were within bore the siege with
courage and alacrity, for they were not discouraged, either by the
famine, or by the pestilential distemper, but were of cheerful minds in
the prosecution of the war, although those miseries within oppressed
them also, and they did not suffer themselves to be terrified, either by
the contrivances of the enemy, or by their engines of war, but contrived
still different engines to oppose all the other withal, till indeed
there seemed to be an entire struggle between the Babylonians and the
people of Jerusalem, which had the greater sagacity and skill; the
former party supposing they should be thereby too hard for the other,
for the destruction of the city; the latter placing their hopes of
deliverance in nothing else but in persevering in such inventions in
opposition to the other, as might demonstrate the enemy's engines were
useless to them. And this siege they endured for eighteen months, until
they were destroyed by the famine, and by the darts which the enemy
threw at them from the towers.
2. Now the city was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month, in the
eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah. They were indeed only generals
of the king of Babylon, to whom Nebuchadnezzar committed the care of the
siege, for he abode himself in the city of Riblah. The names of these
generals who ravaged and subdued Jerusalem, if any one desire to know
them, were these: Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Rabsaris, Sorsechim, and
Rabmag. And when the city was taken about midnight, and the enemy's
generals were entered into the temple, and when Zedekiah was sensible of
it, he took his wives, and his children, and his captains, and his
friends, and with them fled out of the city, through the fortified
ditch, and through the desert; and when certain of the deserters had
informed the Babylonians of this, at break of day, they made haste to
pursue after Zedekiah, and overtook him not far from Jericho, and
encompassed him about. But for those friends and captains of Zedekiah
who had fled out of the city with him, when they saw their enemies near
them, they left him, and dispersed themselves, some one way, and some
another, and every one resolved to save himself; so the enemy took
Zedekiah alive, when he was deserted by all but a few, with his children
and his wives, and brought him to the king. When he was come,
Nebuchadnezzar began to call him a wicked wretch, and a covenant-
breaker, and one that had forgotten his former words, when he promised
to keep the country for him. He also reproached him for his ingratitude,
that when he had received the kingdom from him, who had taken it from
Jehoiachin, and given it to him, he had made use of the power he gave
him against him that gave it; "but," said he, "God is great, who hated
that conduct of thine, and hath brought thee under us." And when he had
used these words to Zedekiah, he commanded his sons and his friends to
be slain, while Zedekiah and the rest of the captains looked on; after
which he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him, and carried him to
Babylon. And these things happened to him, 13 as Jeremiah and Ezekiel
had foretold to him, that he should be caught, and brought before the
king of Babylon, and should speak to him face to face, and should see
his eyes with his own eyes; and thus far did Jeremiah prophesy. But he
was also made blind, and brought to Babylon, but did not see it,
according to the prediction of Ezekiel.
3. We have said thus much, because it was sufficient to show the nature
of God to such as are ignorant of it, that it is various, and acts many
different ways, and that all events happen after a regular manner, in
their proper season, and that it foretells what must come to pass. It is
also sufficient to show the ignorance and incredulity of men, whereby
they are not permitted to foresee any thing that is future, and are,
without any guard, exposed to calamities, so that it is impossible for
them to avoid the experience of those calamities.
4. And after this manner have the kings of David's race ended their
lives, being in number twenty-one, until the last king, who all together
reigned five hundred and fourteen years, and six months, and ten days;
of whom Saul, who was their first king, retained the government twenty
years, though he was not of the same tribe with the rest.
5. And now it was that the king of Babylon sent Nebuzaradan, the general
of his army, to Jerusalem, to pillage the temple, who had it also in
command to burn it and the royal palace, and to lay the city even with
the ground, and to transplant the people into Babylon. Accordingly, he
came to Jerusalem in the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, and pillaged
the temple, and carried out the vessels of God, both gold and silver,
and particularly that large laver which Solomon dedicated, as also the
pillars of brass, and their chapiters, with the golden tables and the
candlesticks; and when he had carried these off, he set fire to the
temple in the fifth month, the first day of the month, in the eleventh
year of the reign of Zedekiah, and in the eighteenth year of
Nebuchadnezzar: he also burnt the palace, and overthrew the city. Now
the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten
days after it was built. It was then one thousand and sixty-two years,
six months, and ten days from the departure out of Egypt; and from the
deluge to the destruction of the temple, the whole interval was one
thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven years, six months, and ten days;
but from the generation of Adam, until this befell the temple, there
were three thousand five hundred and thirteen years, six months, and ten
days; so great was the number of years hereto belonging. And what
actions were done during these years we have particularly related. But
the general of the Babylonian king now overthrew the city to the very
foundations, and removed all the people, and took for prisoners the high
priest Seraiah, and Zephaniah the priest that was next to him, and the
rulers that guarded the temple, who were three in number, and the eunuch
who was over the armed men, and seven friends of Zedekiah, and his
scribe, and sixty other rulers; all which, together with the vessels
which they had pillaged, he carried to the king of Babylon to Riblah, a
city of Syria. So the king commanded the heads of the high priest and of
the rulers to be cut off there; but he himself led all the captives and
Zedekiah to Babylon. He also led Josedek the high priest away bound. He
was the son of Seraiah the high priest, whom the king of Babylon had
slain in Riblah, a city of Syria, as we just now related.
6. And now, because we have enumerated the succession of the kings, and
who they were, and how long they reigned, I think it necessary to set
down the names of the high priests, and who they were that succeeded one
another in the high priesthood under the Kings. The first high priest
then at the temple which Solomon built was Zadok; after him his son
Achimas received that dignity; after Achimas was Azarias; his son was
Joram, and Joram's son was Isus; after him was Axioramus; his son was
Phidens, and Phideas's son was Sudeas, and Sudeas's son was Juelus, and
Juelus's son was Jotham, and Jotham's son was Urias, and Urias's son was
Nerias, and Nerias's son was Odeas, and his son was Sallumus, and
Sallumus's son was Elcias, and his son [was Azarias, and his son] was
Sareas, 14 and his son was Josedec, who was carried captive to Babylon.
All these received the high priesthood by succession, the sons from
their father.
7. When the king was come to Babylon, he kept Zedekiah in prison until
he died, and buried him magnificently, and dedicated the vessels he had
pillaged out of the temple of Jerusalem to his own gods, and planted the
people in the country of Babylon, but freed the high priest from his
bonds.
Jerusalem; and he erected towers upon great banks of earth, and from
them repelled those that stood upon the walls; he also made a great
number of such banks round about the whole city, whose height was equal
to those walls. However, those that were within bore the siege with
courage and alacrity, for they were not discouraged, either by the
famine, or by the pestilential distemper, but were of cheerful minds in
the prosecution of the war, although those miseries within oppressed
them also, and they did not suffer themselves to be terrified, either by
the contrivances of the enemy, or by their engines of war, but contrived
still different engines to oppose all the other withal, till indeed
there seemed to be an entire struggle between the Babylonians and the
people of Jerusalem, which had the greater sagacity and skill; the
former party supposing they should be thereby too hard for the other,
for the destruction of the city; the latter placing their hopes of
deliverance in nothing else but in persevering in such inventions in
opposition to the other, as might demonstrate the enemy's engines were
useless to them. And this siege they endured for eighteen months, until
they were destroyed by the famine, and by the darts which the enemy
threw at them from the towers.
2. Now the city was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month, in the
eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah. They were indeed only generals
of the king of Babylon, to whom Nebuchadnezzar committed the care of the
siege, for he abode himself in the city of Riblah. The names of these
generals who ravaged and subdued Jerusalem, if any one desire to know
them, were these: Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Rabsaris, Sorsechim, and
Rabmag. And when the city was taken about midnight, and the enemy's
generals were entered into the temple, and when Zedekiah was sensible of
it, he took his wives, and his children, and his captains, and his
friends, and with them fled out of the city, through the fortified
ditch, and through the desert; and when certain of the deserters had
informed the Babylonians of this, at break of day, they made haste to
pursue after Zedekiah, and overtook him not far from Jericho, and
encompassed him about. But for those friends and captains of Zedekiah
who had fled out of the city with him, when they saw their enemies near
them, they left him, and dispersed themselves, some one way, and some
another, and every one resolved to save himself; so the enemy took
Zedekiah alive, when he was deserted by all but a few, with his children
and his wives, and brought him to the king. When he was come,
Nebuchadnezzar began to call him a wicked wretch, and a covenant-
breaker, and one that had forgotten his former words, when he promised
to keep the country for him. He also reproached him for his ingratitude,
that when he had received the kingdom from him, who had taken it from
Jehoiachin, and given it to him, he had made use of the power he gave
him against him that gave it; "but," said he, "God is great, who hated
that conduct of thine, and hath brought thee under us." And when he had
used these words to Zedekiah, he commanded his sons and his friends to
be slain, while Zedekiah and the rest of the captains looked on; after
which he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him, and carried him to
Babylon. And these things happened to him, 13 as Jeremiah and Ezekiel
had foretold to him, that he should be caught, and brought before the
king of Babylon, and should speak to him face to face, and should see
his eyes with his own eyes; and thus far did Jeremiah prophesy. But he
was also made blind, and brought to Babylon, but did not see it,
according to the prediction of Ezekiel.
3. We have said thus much, because it was sufficient to show the nature
of God to such as are ignorant of it, that it is various, and acts many
different ways, and that all events happen after a regular manner, in
their proper season, and that it foretells what must come to pass. It is
also sufficient to show the ignorance and incredulity of men, whereby
they are not permitted to foresee any thing that is future, and are,
without any guard, exposed to calamities, so that it is impossible for
them to avoid the experience of those calamities.
4. And after this manner have the kings of David's race ended their
lives, being in number twenty-one, until the last king, who all together
reigned five hundred and fourteen years, and six months, and ten days;
of whom Saul, who was their first king, retained the government twenty
years, though he was not of the same tribe with the rest.
5. And now it was that the king of Babylon sent Nebuzaradan, the general
of his army, to Jerusalem, to pillage the temple, who had it also in
command to burn it and the royal palace, and to lay the city even with
the ground, and to transplant the people into Babylon. Accordingly, he
came to Jerusalem in the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, and pillaged
the temple, and carried out the vessels of God, both gold and silver,
and particularly that large laver which Solomon dedicated, as also the
pillars of brass, and their chapiters, with the golden tables and the
candlesticks; and when he had carried these off, he set fire to the
temple in the fifth month, the first day of the month, in the eleventh
year of the reign of Zedekiah, and in the eighteenth year of
Nebuchadnezzar: he also burnt the palace, and overthrew the city. Now
the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten
days after it was built. It was then one thousand and sixty-two years,
six months, and ten days from the departure out of Egypt; and from the
deluge to the destruction of the temple, the whole interval was one
thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven years, six months, and ten days;
but from the generation of Adam, until this befell the temple, there
were three thousand five hundred and thirteen years, six months, and ten
days; so great was the number of years hereto belonging. And what
actions were done during these years we have particularly related. But
the general of the Babylonian king now overthrew the city to the very
foundations, and removed all the people, and took for prisoners the high
priest Seraiah, and Zephaniah the priest that was next to him, and the
rulers that guarded the temple, who were three in number, and the eunuch
who was over the armed men, and seven friends of Zedekiah, and his
scribe, and sixty other rulers; all which, together with the vessels
which they had pillaged, he carried to the king of Babylon to Riblah, a
city of Syria. So the king commanded the heads of the high priest and of
the rulers to be cut off there; but he himself led all the captives and
Zedekiah to Babylon. He also led Josedek the high priest away bound. He
was the son of Seraiah the high priest, whom the king of Babylon had
slain in Riblah, a city of Syria, as we just now related.
6. And now, because we have enumerated the succession of the kings, and
who they were, and how long they reigned, I think it necessary to set
down the names of the high priests, and who they were that succeeded one
another in the high priesthood under the Kings. The first high priest
then at the temple which Solomon built was Zadok; after him his son
Achimas received that dignity; after Achimas was Azarias; his son was
Joram, and Joram's son was Isus; after him was Axioramus; his son was
Phidens, and Phideas's son was Sudeas, and Sudeas's son was Juelus, and
Juelus's son was Jotham, and Jotham's son was Urias, and Urias's son was
Nerias, and Nerias's son was Odeas, and his son was Sallumus, and
Sallumus's son was Elcias, and his son [was Azarias, and his son] was
Sareas, 14 and his son was Josedec, who was carried captive to Babylon.
All these received the high priesthood by succession, the sons from
their father.
7. When the king was come to Babylon, he kept Zedekiah in prison until
he died, and buried him magnificently, and dedicated the vessels he had
pillaged out of the temple of Jerusalem to his own gods, and planted the
people in the country of Babylon, but freed the high priest from his
bonds.