Event · Exile and Return
Jehoiachin taken to Babylon
Jehoiachin taken to Babylon2 Kings 24:8–17597 BCE1 parallel account
Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem and takes King Jehoiachin, the leaders and craftsmen to Babylon; Ezekiel is among the exiles.
- Main passage 2 Kings 24:8–17
- Also told in 2 Chronicles 36:9–10
Places named Jerusalem 2 Kings 24:10 · Babylon 2 Kings 24:15
- Place in the order
- Explicit biblical sequence Scripture itself gives the order of these events.
- Historical setting
- 597 BCE Approximate historical setting
The Babylonian Chronicle records Jerusalem's capture on 2 Adar (March) 597 BCE.
Read it
2 Kings 24:8–17 WEB
8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, according to all that his father had done. 10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, 12and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign. 13He carried out from there all the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the LORD’s temple, as the LORD had said. 14He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained except the poorest people of the land. 15He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.