Mattaniah (Zedekiah).
He rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, his
suzerain, and formed an alliance with
Hopra, king of Egypt (2 Kings 24:20;
Jeremiah 44:30; Ezekiel 17:15).
Nebuchadnezzar came "with all his host"
against Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1). Egypt
proved again for the Jews a "bruised reed"
(2 Kings 18:21), and failed to help them.
Jerusalem was besieged for a year and a
half, and was visited with dire distress,
famine, and pestilence. The defenses of the
city gave way, and the Babylonian army
entered it. The doomed city drank the cup
of God's fury to the dregs. The king and
all his followers were taken captive, and
brought to Riblah. There his son was put
to death in his presence, and his own eyes
were than put out, and he became a
captive in Babylon to the day of his
death. (Jeremiah 52:11). The second
captivity. Reigned 11 years.
Prophet: Ezekiel.
599596- 591
Psammetichus II., king of Egypt.594 Solon at Athens
591- 572
Hophra, king of Egypt.Gedaliah.
Appointed governor by Nebuchadnezzar
(2 Kings 25:22). Was killed by Ishmael.
Jerusalem destroyed. Many of the people
carried captive to Babylon. The third
captivity. The rest fled to Egypt (2 Kings
25:26). Judah lies desolate (2 Chronicles
36:21; Zechariah 7:14).
588Palestine. Rome
562 Nebuchadnezzar dies, after a reign of 43
years, and is succeeded by his son Evil-
merodach.
558 Media and Persia united into one
kingdom under Cyrus.
559 Neriglissar (probably = Nergal -
Sharezer), Nebuchadnezzar's son-in-law,
succeeds Evil-merodach.
555 Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon.
Belshazzar, his son, latterly associated
with him as king. Belshazzar commanded
at Babylon while his father Nabonidus
took the field against Cyrus.
538 During the siege of Babylon by Cyrus,
Belshazzar made a great feast, and that
night the city was taken, and Belshazzar
was slain, the empire passing to the