Zedekiah was the last king of Judah, whose rule is situated around 600 B.C. as per the chronology established in The Book of Mormon. At the age of twenty-one, Zedekiah began to reign in Jerusalem and continued for eleven years until the Babylonian conquest that sealed the fate of the kingdom. During his reign, he was known for his indecisiveness and failure to heed prophetic warnings, characteristics that were pivotal in the tragic downfall of Judah. It is in the first year of his reign that notable prophets, including Lehi, began their ministries, warning the people of the imminent destruction that would come upon Jerusalem if they did not repent (1 Nephi 1:4). Unfortunately, Zedekiah’s choices led to the fulfillment of these prophecies.
The Book of Mormon tells of Zedekiah’s lineage continuing in the Promised Land through his son Mulek, who remarkably escaped the destruction that claimed his brethren (Helaman 8:21). Mulek’s journey led to the establishment of a group of people in the Promised Land, known as the Mulekites, who later merged with the Nephites forming a unified nation (Helaman 6:10; Omni 1:15). Zedekiah’s story, though brief in its telling within The Book of Mormon, sets a background for the departure of Lehi’s family from Jerusalem and the subsequent events that would lead to the Nephites and Lamanites’ histories. His reign, marked by biblical records and reiterated in The Book of Mormon, stands as a solemn reminder of the severe consequences of ignoring divine counsel and guidance.