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 it came to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came—he and all his force, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it, —and they built against it a siege wall, round about.
2 And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
And the city came into the siege, —until the eleventh year 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.
On the ninth of the month, when the famine had become severe in the city, —and there had come to be no bread for the people of the land,
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 was the city broken up, and all the men of war [fled] by night by way of the gate between the two walls, which is by the garden of the king, the Chaldeans being near the city round about, —and he went the way of the Waste Plain;
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.
and the force of the Chaldeans, pursued, the king, and overtook him in the Waste Plains of Jericho, —and, all his force, 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.
So they seized the king, and brought him up unto the king of Babylon, at Riblah, —and they pronounced upon him sentence of judgment.
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, the sons of Zedekiah, they slew before his eyes, —and, the eyes of Zedekiah, put they out, and then bound him with fetters of bronze, and brought him into Babylon.
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 fifth month, on the seventh of the month, the same, was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, servant of the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem;
9 He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
and burned the house of Yahweh, and the house of the king, —yea, all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man’s house, burned he with fire.
10 And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
And, the walls of Jerusalem round about, did all the force of the Chaldeans who were with the chief of the royal executioners, break down.
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 residue of the people who were left in the city, and the disheartened who fell away unto the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, carry away captive.
12 But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields.
But, of the poorest of the land, did the chief of the royal executioners, leave, for vine-dressers and for husbandmen.
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.
And, the pillars of bronze that were in the house of Yahweh, and the stands, and the sea of bronze which was in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans brake in pieces, and they carried away the bronze of them to Babylon;
14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
and, the caldrons, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, even all the utensils of bronze wherewith ministration used to be made, did they take 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 sprinkling pans and the dashing bowls which were of gold, in gold, and which were of silver, in silver, did, the chief of the royal executions, take 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.
As for the two pillars the one sea and the stands which Solomon made for the house of Yahweh, without weight, was the bronze of all these things.
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.
Eighteen cubits, was the height of each pillar, and, the capital thereupon was of bronze, and, the height of the capital, was three cubits, and, the lattice-work and pomegranates upon the capital round about, the whole, was of bronze; and, like these, had the second pillar, upon the lattice-work.
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 chief of the royal executioners took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, —and the three keepers of the entrance hall;
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 city, took he one courtier who himself was set over the men of war, and five men of them who were wont to see the face of the king, who were found in the city, and the scribe—general of the army, who used to muster the people of the land, —and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city;
20 Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
and Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, took them, —and brought them unto the king of Babylon, at 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 Babylon smote them and slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, —and thus Judah disappeared from off their own soil.
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.
But, as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon left remaining, he set over them Gedaliah, son of Ahikam son of Shaphan.
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.
And, when all the generals of the forces, they and the men, heard that the king of Babylon had given oversight unto Gedaliah, then came they in unto Gedaliah, at Mizpah, —even Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of a Maacathite, 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 unto them, and to their men, and said to them, Do not fear because of the servants of the Chaldeans, —dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
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.
And it came to pass, in the seventh month, that Ishmael son of Nethaniah a son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, —and the Jews and the Chaldeans who 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 arose all the people, both small and great, and the generals of the forces, and came into Egypt, —for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
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.
And it came to pass, in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, —that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, out of 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 he spake with him kind words, —and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon;
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 eat bread continually before him, all the days of his life.
30 And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.
And, as his allowance, a continual portion, was given him, from the king, the provision of a day upon its own day, —all the days of his life.
