Kings, Zedekiah tried to flee to the plains of Jericho, but he was captured by the force of Nebuchadnezzar and brought to Riblah, to have a "face to face" meeting with the Babylonian king. 2 Kings 25:7, Jeremiah 39:7 and Jeremiah 52:11 record that Zedekiah's sons were killed before his eyes and then his eyes were put out and he was deported to Babylon. Verse 7 "Against Lachish, and against Azekah": The two cities, Lachish (45 km or 23 miles southwest of Jerusalem) and Azekah (18 km or 11 miles north-northwest of Lachish; southwest of Jerusalem). Book of Joshua noted that Lachish was one of the strongest towns of the Amorites in the time of Joshua and, as Azekah, was situated in the Shfela, or lowland district. Rehoboam restored and fortified both cities as a defence against the northern kingdom. Amaziah escaped to Lachish from Jerusalem. Sennacherib conquered the city during his conquest to Egypt, made it his headquarters and commemorated the event in his palace (at Kouyunjik) in a huge wall relief, now known as the Lachish reliefs. Lachish and Azekah are close to Egyptian border. Letter Number 4 of Lachish letters, found between 1935 and 1938, seems to indicate the fall of Azekah, reported by an official stationed outside the city to his commander in Lachish. Freedom for Hebrew slaves (34:8–22) Verse 14 "At the end of seven years let every man set free his Hebrew brother, who has been sold to him; and when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you." But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear. "Has been sold to him": translated from the Hebrew phrase , lə-ḵā, which can also be rendered as "sold himself". The cited statement is the first part of the law written in . See also Related Bible parts: Deuteronomy 15, Joshua 10, Joshua 15, 1 Samuel 17, 2 Kings 18, 2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 11, 2 Chronicles 14, 2 Chronicles 25, 2 Chronicles 32, Nehemiah 11, Jeremiah 39, Jeremiah 52 Notes and references Bibliography External links Jewish Jeremiah 34 Hebrew with Parallel English Christian Jeremiah 34 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate 34