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Tzidkiyahu (, Şidhqiyyāhû; Greek: ζεδεκιας, Zedekias; traditional English: Zedekiah; Arabic: صدقيا, Şidqiyyā) was the last king of Judah. He was the third son of Josiah, and his mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, thus he was the brother of Jehoahaz (). In Hebrew, his name means, Şidhqî Yāhû (צִדְקִי יָהוּ), "God is my righteousness". William F. Albright dates the reign of Zedekiah to 597 BCE-587 BCE, while E. R. Thiele to 597 BCE-586 BCE.
Life and reign His original name was Matanyahu (, Mattanyāhû, "Gift of God"; traditional English: Mattaniah), but when Nebuchadnezzar II placed him on the throne as the successor to Jehoiachin, he changed his name to Zedekiah. The prophet Jeremiah was his counsellor, yet "he did evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 24:19, 20; Jeremiah 52:2, 3). He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-one. The kingdom was at that time tributary to Nebuchadnezzar II. Despite the strong remonstrances of Jeremiah and others, as well as the example of Jehoiachin, he revolted against Babylon, and entered into an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt. This brought up Nebuchadnezzar, "with all his host" (2 Kings 25:1), against Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar began a siege of Jerusalem 589 BC. During this siege, which lasted about eighteen months, "every worst woe befell the devoted city, which drank the cup of God's fury to the dregs" (2 Kings 25:3; Lamentations 4:4, 5, 10). In the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, Nebuchadnezzar succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. The city was plundered and reduced to ruins. Zedekiah and his followers attempted to escape, making their way out of the city, but were captured on the plains of Jericho, and were taken to Riblah. There, after seeing his own children put to death, his own eyes were put out, and, being loaded with chains, he was carried captive (587 BC) to Babylon (2 Kings 25:1-7; 2 Chronicles 36:12; Jeremiah 32:4,5; 34:2, 3; 39:1-7; 52:4-11; Ezekiel 12:12), where he remained a prisoner, how long is unknown, to the day of his death. After the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuzaraddan was sent to carry out its complete destruction. The city was razed to the ground. Only a small number of vinedressers and husbandmen were permitted to remain in the land (Jer. 52:16). Gedaliah, with a Chaldean guard stationed at Mizpah, were left to rule over Judah (2 Kings 25:22, 24; Jer. 40:1, 2, 5, 6). Sources Book of Mormon According to the Book of Mormon, King Zedekiah's reign began in (or immediately prior to) 600 BC, and Zedekiah's surviving son Mulek escaped death and travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, where he founded a nation that later merged with the Nephites. |- | ||||||||
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