Study Desk

On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

He set fire to the temple of the LORD , the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down.

The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.

Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen ^(F134) and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon.

But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.

The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.

They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.

The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls used for drink offerings-all that were made of pure gold or silver.

The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD , was more than could be weighed.

Each of the pillars was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference ^(F135) ; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.

The bronze capital on top of the one pillar was five cubits ^(F136) high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar.

There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates above the surrounding network was a hundred.