King Zedekiah of Judea

King Zedekiah of Judea: Uncle and successor of King Jehoiachin. Reigned from 434-423 BCE. Disregarding the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah, he broke his oath of loyalty to Babylon and allied himself with Babylon’s enemy, Egypt. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon crushed the rebellion, plundering and destroying the Temple and all of Jerusalem and bringing the Jews to Babylon as captives. Zedekiah himself was blinded and taken to Babylon in chains. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah ben Ahikam to serve as governor for the remaining Jews.