Babylonians

Babylon first appears in the story of Judah as a curiosity. Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan sends envoys with letters and a present to the recovered Hezekiah, who shows them everything in his treasure house; Isaiah answers that all of it will one day be carried to Babylon (2 Kings 20:12–18). Within a century the prophecy is a siege.

Nebuchadnezzar is the figure who dominates the record. He takes Jehoiakim, then Jehoiachin, then Zedekiah, and finally burns the temple and the city (2 Kings 24–25). His officers are named at the gate of the fallen Jerusalem: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rabmag, and Samgar among the rest (Jeremiah 39:3). Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, carries out the deportation and deals kindly with Jeremiah giving him a choice of where to live (Jeremiah 39:11–14; 40:1–4).

In the palace the same empire trains its captives. Ashpenaz chief of the eunuchs, is charged with the youths of Judah and shows favor to Daniel, who resolves not to defile himself with the food of the king (Daniel 1:3–16). The dreams of Nebuchadnezzar, his golden image, his madness in the field and his final confession that "those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (Daniel 4:37) trace a king brought low and restored.

The empire ends in a single night. Belshazzar drinks from the vessels of the temple, the hand writes on the plaster, and his lords are terrified until Belshazzar's queen remembers Daniel (Daniel 5:1–12). The reading is MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN — the kingdom numbered, weighed and divided (Daniel 5:25–28). That same night Belshazzar was killed. A kinder footnote survives: Evil-merodach, in the year he became king, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin took him out of prison and gave him a seat above the other kings in Babylon (2 Kings 25:27–30).