On Zedekiah: Text and Manuscripts

Go to the Zedekiah and Descendants group, the Visual edition.

Iste sedechias , qui prius mathanias , uase figuli non instructus, morte ananie in retortis perterritus, audita epistula contra jeremiam directa, uisione ficuum nec contritione laguncule terre factus, nono anno a nabucodonosor est obsessus ; quo recedente et regem egypti superante , jeremias , irrisus et de asino in carcerem detrusus, redeunte ad obsidionem nabuzardan , agro uendito, dum mala solutus regi prophetaret, in lacum missus, ab eunucho liberatus, mala regi prophetare non cessat ; qui, nocte fugiens, in campis jericontinis comprehensus, capta ciuitate undecimo anno, jeremia relicto libero et godolia reliquis prefecto , in babylonem cecus ductus, ignominiosa laxatione ibi mortuus est et sepultus .

This Zedekiah, who was previously called Mathanias, did not learn from the potter's vessel. Terrified by the death of Hananiah [with respect to the twisted chains], he heard the letter directed against Jeremiah, but neither the vision of the figs nor the breaking of the earthen jar had any impact. In the ninth year he was beseiged by Nebuchadnezzar, who retreated and defeated the King of Egypt. Jeremiah was mocked and thrown off his donkey and into prison. Returning to the siege, Nebuzaradan, sold a field. While free, Jeremiah prophesied evils to the king, and was put into a cistern and freed by a eunuch. But he did not stop prophesying evil to the king, who (fleeing by night) was captured in the plains of Jericho. In Zedekiah's eleventh year, the city was captured, Jeremiah freed, and Gedaliah left as prefect. Zedekiah was taken blind to Babylon, where he died shamefully from a laxative and was buried.

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Image excerpts from the manuscripts (as grouped by main graph versions) are the result of tool-based image annotation (via Cadmus) or manual extraction. For each manuscript version only these visually annotated manuscripts are listed here. For the grouping of all manuscripts we provide a separate list (Manuscript groups). Transcriptions are semi-diplomatic following project specific rules.

Version

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 29 (C2)

Iste Sedechias quj prius matha
nias uase figuli non instructus
morte ananie in retortis perter
ritus. audita epistula contra ieremi
am directa. uisione ficuum
nec contricione laguncule terre factus nono
anno a nabucodonosor est obsessus. Quo redeunte et
regem egipti superante. ieremias irrisus. et de
asino in carcerem detrusus. redeunte ad
obsidionem nabuzardan. agro uendito. dum
mala solutus regi prophetaret. in lacum missus
ab eunucho liberatus. mala regi prophetare non
cessat. Qui nocte fugiens. in campis iericon
tinis comprehensus. capta ciuitate .xio. anno
ieremia relicto libero. et godolia reliquis prefecto in babylonem cecus ductus ignominiosa
laxatione. ibi mortuus est et sepultus.

Version 1

Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 363 (W)

Manuscript group AT1

Iste sedechias qui pri us mathanias uase figuli non in
structus. morte ananie in retortis perterritus audita epistula
contra ieremiam directam. uisione ficuum nec contricione
languncule terrefactus. nono anno a nabuchodono
sor obsessus est. quo recedente et regem egypti superante
ieremias irrisus. et de asino in carcerem detrusus. redeunte ad obsidionem
nabuzardan. agro uendito. dum mala solutus regi prophetaret. in lacum mis
sus. ab eunucho liberatus. mala regi prophetare non cessat. Qui nocte fugens
in campis ierichontinis comprehensus. capta ciuitate .xio anno ieremia
relicto libero et godolia reliquiis prefecto in babylonem cecus ductus ignomi
niosa laxatione. ibi mortuus et sepultus est.

Linz, Oberösterreichische Landesbibliothek, Hs. 490 (Schiffmann 26) (Lz1)

Manuscript group AT2

Köln, Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, W 247 (Kö)

Manuscript group BE1

Klosterneuburg, Augustiner-Chorherrenstift, Cod. 696 (K)

Manuscript group FR1

Auxerre, Bibliothèque municipale, Ms. 145 (Ax)

Manuscript group FR2

Iste Sedechias
qui prius mathanias. uase figuli non instructus. mor
te ananie in peretterritus. audita epistula contra
ieremiam directa. uisione ficuum nec contricione lagun
cule terre factus. nono anno nabuchodonosor est ob
sessus. Quo recedente et regem egypti superante. ieremi
as irrisus. et de asino in carcerem detrusus. redeunte
ad obsidionem nabuzardan. agro uendito dum mala
solutus regi prophetaret. in lacum missus. ab eunucho
liberatus. mala regi prophetare non cessat. Qui nocte fugi
ens in campis ierichontinis conprehensus. capta ci
uitate xi. anno. ieremia relicto libero. et godolia re
liquiis prefecto. in babylonem cecus ductus. ignomi
niosa laxatione ibi mortuus est. et sepultus. In eodem sedechia terminatum est regnum iudeorum.
in quo secundum iosephum regnatum est. annis .d. et xiiij. et
mensibus vii. et diebus x. secundum librum uero regum. non plene
.d. ab edificatione templi fluxerant anni. cccc. et lxxx.
et menses vi. et dies x. ab egressu populi de egypto.
anni .m. et lxii. et menses vi. et dies x. Deinceps
cura rerum gerendarum sub sacerdotibus fuit in reditu
a captiuitate. nisi quod circa tempora christi pauci fuere
reges. qui inferius post sacerdotes sunt annotati.

Heidelberg, Universitätsbibliothek, Cod. Sal. IX, 40 (H)

Manuscript group GB3

Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.15.5 (C)

Manuscript group GB6

Iste sedechias qui prius mathanias uase figuli
non instructus. morte in retortis perteritus. audita epistula
contra ieremiam. directa uisione ficuum nec contricione
laguncule terre factus .ix. anno a nabugodonosor. est obses
sus. Quo recedente et regem egipti superante. ieremias.
irrisus. et de asino in carcerem detrusus. redeunte
ad obsidionem nabuzardan agro uendito dum
mala solutus regi prophetaret! in lacum missus ab
eunuco liberatus. mala regi prophetare non cessau???.
Qui nocte fugiens in campis iericontinis comprehensus capti
uitate .xi. anno ieremia relicto libero. et godolia reliquis
prefecto in babilonem cecus ductus. ignominiosa laxatione
ibi mortuus est et sepultus.

Version 2

Cleveland, Museum of Art, 1973.5 (Cl)

Admont, Benediktinerstift, Cod. 128 (Ad)

Manuscript group AT3

Firenze, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Plut. 15.11 (F1)

Manuscript group FR3

Version 3

Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, MS 83 (C3)

Manuscript group GB2

Version 6

Leipzig, Universitätsbibliothek, Ms. Apel 1 (Le1)

Manuscript group NL1

Citation recommendation

On Zedekiah: Text and Manuscripts. In: Peter of Poitiers' Compendium historiae: a research platform and edition, ed. by Andrea Worm, et al., Graz: 2026. https://gams.uni-graz.at/query:chigc.thirdlayer?params=$1|t-sedechias.

Credits

Data modeling, data curation and web design: Jakob Sonnberger
Project principal investigators: Andrea Worm, Roman Bleier and Patrick Sahle
Mercator Fellows: Laura Cleaver and Franz Fischer