The Skeptics Annotated Bible (613 page)

(52.12-13)
“In the tenth day of the month … burned the house of the LORD.”
257 On what day did the temple burn?

14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

15 Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

16 But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

17 Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

18 The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

19 And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.

20 The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brasen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the LORD: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

21 And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.

22 And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and
the height of one chapiter was five cubits
, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.

(52.22)
“The height of one chapiter was five cubits.”
258 How high was the chapiter?

23 And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were an hundred round about.

24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

25 He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and
seven men of them that were near the king’s person
, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.

(52.25)
“Seven men of them that were near the king’s person.”
259 How many men were with the king?

26 So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

27 And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

28 This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:

29 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:

30 In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month,
in the five and twentieth day of the month
, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,

(52.31)
“In the five and twentieth day of the month”
260 When was Jehoiachin released from prison?

32 And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,

33 And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.

34 And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Jerusalem hath grievously sinned … they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward. Her filthiness is in her skirts.
—
Lamentations 1.8-9

Well, I can find nothing good in Lamentations, but there’s plenty of evil.

For example:

• Jerusalem is compared to a naked woman who sighs and turns backward. “Her filthiness is in her skirts.”
  1.8-9
  
• The adversary puts his hand upon “all her pleasant things.”
  1.10
  
• “The LORD hath trodden the virgin … as in a winepress.”
  1.15
  
• “Jerusalem is as a menstrous woman.” (To God this is an insult.)
  1.17
  
• “He hath bent his bow like an enemy … and slew all that were pleasant to the eye … he poured out his fury like fire.”
  2.4
  
• God mercilessly kills everyone, young and old. He even causes women to eat their children.
  2.20-22
  
• He is like a bear or a lion who secretly pursues you and then tears you apart.
  3.10-11
  
• He shoots people with his bow and breaks their teeth with stones.
  3.13-16
  
• “Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?”
  3.38
  
• “Thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.”
  3.43
  
• “Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.”
  3.44
  
• He “accomplishes his fury” on the Israelites by starving children to death and forcing their mothers to eat them.
  4.4-11
  
• Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom … Thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.”
  4.21
  

1
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

(1.8-9) Jerusalem is compared to a naked woman who sighs and turns backward. “Her filthiness is in her skirts.”