''Devotional comments on [[Ezekiel]] 12 {{dod- [[Malachi]]'' september}}
Some 20 years passed between chapters 4 and 5, and King [[Nebuchadnezzar]] moved off the scene. He was succeeded by a son who reigned just a few years and was then assassinated by his own brother-in-law. The brother-in- law, in turn, ruled four years and was killed in battle. The next two rulers occupied a throne a very brief time. The second of these was Nabonidus. He was king of the [[Babylon]]ian Empire, and his son, Belshazzar, was king of the city of [[Babylon]]. This explains why [[Daniel]] was named third ruler (chapter 5:7,29).