2 Kings 25
1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
And in the ninth yeere of his reigne, the tenth moneth and tenth day of the moneth Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel came, he, and all his hoste against Ierusalem, and pitched against it, and they built fortes against it round about it.
2 And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
So the citie was besieged vnto the eleueth yeere of King Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food.
And the ninth day of the moneth the famine was sore in the citie, so that there was no bread for the people of the lande.
4 Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
Then the citie was broken vp, and all the men of warre fled by night, by the way of the gate, which is betweene two walles that was by the Kings garden: nowe the Caldees were by the citie round about: and the King went by the way of the wildernesse.
5 but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him.
But the armie of the Caldees pursued after the King, and tooke him in the desertes of Iericho, and all his hoste was scattered from him.
6 The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
Then they tooke the King, and caried him vp to the King of Babel to Riblah, where they gaue iudgement vpon him.
7 And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
And they slew the sonnes of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bounde him in chaines, and caried him to Babel.
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
And in the fift moneth, and seuenth day of the moneth, which was the nineteenth yere of King Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel, came Nebuzar-adan chiefe stewarde and seruaunt of the King of Babel, to Ierusalem,
9 He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
And burnt the house of the Lord, and the Kings house, and all the houses of Ierusalem, and all the great houses burnt he with fire.
10 And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
And all the armie of the Caldees that were with the chiefe stewarde, brake downe the walles of Ierusalem round about.
11 Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
And the rest of the people that were left in the citie, and those that were fled and fallen to the King of Babel, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzar-adan chiefe steward carie away captiue.
12 But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
But the chiefe steward left of the poore of the land to dresse the vines, and to till the land.
13 Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.
Also the pillars of brasse that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brasen Sea that was in the house of the Lord, did the Caldees breake, and caried the brasse of them to Babel.
14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
The pots also and the besomes, and the instruments of musike, and the incense dishes, and al the vessels of brasse that they ministred in, tooke they away.
15 The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
And the asshe pannes, and the basens, and all that was of gold, and that was of siluer, tooke the chiefe steward away,
16 As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.
With the two pillars, one Sea and the bases, which Salomon had made for the house of the Lord: the brasse of all these vessels was without weight.
17 Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
The height of the one pillar was eighteene cubits, and the chapiter thereon was brasse, and the height of the chapiter was with networke three cubites, and pomegranates vpon the chapiter rounde about, all of brasse: and likewise was the second pillar with the networke.
18 The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
And the chiefe steward tooke Seraiah the chiefe Priest, and Zephaniah the second Priest, and the three keepers of the doore.
19 Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
And out of the citie hee tooke an Eunuch that had the ouersight of the men of warre, and fiue men of them that were in the Kinges presence, which were founde in the citie, and Sopher captaine of the hoste, who mustred the people of the lande, and threescore men of the people of the lande, that were founde in the citie.
20 Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
And Nebuzar-adan the chiefe stewarde tooke them, and brought them to the King of Babel to Riblah.
21 There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
And the King of Babel smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Iudah was caried away captiue out of his owne land.
22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
Howbeit there remained people in the land of Iudah, whom Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel left, and made Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan ruler ouer them.
23 When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men.
Then when all the captaines of the host and their men heard, that the king of Babel had made Gedaliah gouernour, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, to wit, Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah, and Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and Seraiah the sonne of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Iaazaniah the sonne of Maachathi, they and their men.
24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and sayd vnto them, Feare not to be the seruants of the Caldees: dwell in the land, and serue the King of Babel, and ye shalbe well.
25 In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
But in the seuenth moneth Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah the sonne of Elishama of the Kings seede, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, and he died, and so did he the Iewes, and the Caldees that were with him at Mizpah.
26 Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Then all ye people both small and great, and the captaines of the armie arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraide of the Caldees.
27 On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
Notwithstanding in the seuen and thirtieth yeere after Iehoiachin King of Iudah was caried away, in the twelft moneth and the seuen and twentieth day of the moneth, Euil-merodach King of Babel in the yeere that hee began to reigne, did lift vp the head of Iehoiachin King of Iudah out of the prison,
28 And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
And spake kindly to him, and set his throne aboue the throne of the Kings that were with him in Babel,
29 So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eate bread before him, all the dayes of his life.
30 And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
And his portion was a continual portion giuen him by the King, euery day a certaine, all the dayes of his life.
