2 Kings 25
1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, the tenth day of the month, that Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon came, he and all his army against Jerusalem: and they surrounded it: and raised works round about it.
Now in the ninth year of his rule, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against Jerusalem with all his army and took up his position before it, building earthworks all round the town.
2 And the city was shut up and besieged till the eleventh year of king Sedecias,
And the town was shut in by their forces till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
3 The ninth day of the month: and a famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
Now on the ninth day of the fourth month, the store of food in the town was almost gone, so that there was no food for the people of the land.
4 And a breach was made into the city: and all the men of war fled in the night between the two walls by the king’s garden, (now the Chaldees besieged the city round about, ) and Sedecias fled by the way that leadeth to the plains of the wilderness.
So an opening was made in the wall of the town, and all the men of war went in flight by night through the doorway between the two walls which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldaeans were stationed round the town: ) and the king went by the way of the Arabah.
5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all the warriors that were with him were scattered, and left him:
But the Chaldaean army went after the king, and overtook him in the lowlands of Jericho, and all his army went in flight from him in every direction.
6 So they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Reblatha, and he gave judgment upon him.
And they made the king a prisoner and took him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah to be judged.
7 And he slew the sons of Sedecias before his face, and he put out his eyes, and bound him with chains, and brought him to Babylon.
And they put the sons of Zedekiah to death before his eyes, and then they put out his eyes, and chaining him with iron bands, took him to Babylon.
8 In the fifth month, the seventh day of the month, that is, the nineteenth year of the king of Babylon, came Nabuzardan commander of the army, a servant of the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem.
Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem;
9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and the houses of Jerusalem, and every house he burnt with fire.
And he had the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned with fire;
10 And all the army of the Chaldees, which was with the commander of the troops, broke down the walls of Jerusalem round about.
And the walls round Jerusalem were broken down by the Chaldaean army which was with the captain.
11 And Nabuzardan the commander of the army, carried away the rest of the people that remained in the city, and the fugitives that had gone over to the king of Babylon, and the remnant of the common people.
And the rest of the people who were still in the town, and all those who had given themselves up to the king of Babylon, and all the rest of the workmen, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, took away as prisoners;
12 But of the poor of the land he left some dressers of vines and husbandmen.
But he let the poorest of the land go on living there, to take care of the vines and the fields.
13 And the pillars of brass that were in the temple of the Lord, and the bases, and the sea of brass which was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldees broke in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.
And the brass pillars in the house of the Lord, and the wheeled bases, and the great brass water-vessel in the house of the Lord, were broken up by the Chaldaeans, who took the brass to Babylon.
14 They took away also the pots of brass, and the mazers, and the forks, and the cups, and the mortars, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered.
And the pots and the spades and the scissors for the lights and the spoons, and all the brass vessels used in the Lord's house, they took away.
15 Moreover also the censers, and the bowls, such as were of gold in gold, and such as were of silver in silver, the general of the army took away.
And the fire-trays and the basins; the gold of the gold vessels and the silver of the silver vessels, were all taken away by the captain of the armed men.
16 That is, two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made in the temple of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
The two pillars, the great water-vessel and the wheeled bases, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord: the brass of all these vessels was without weight.
17 One pillar was eighteen cubits high, and the chapiter of brass which was upon it was three cubits high: and the network, and the pomegranates that were upon the chapiter of the pillar, were all of brass: and the second pillar had the like adorning.
One of the pillars was eighteen cubits high, with a crown of brass on it; the crown was three cubits high, circled with a network and apples all of brass; and the second pillar had the same.
18 And the general of the army took Seraias the chief priest, and Sophonias the second priest, and three doorkeepers.
And the captain of the armed men took Seraiah, the chief priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three door-keepers;
19 And out of the city one eunuch, who was captain over the men of war: and five men of them that had stood before the king, whom he found in the city, and Sopher the captain of the army who exercised the young soldiers of the people of the land: and threescore men of the common people, who were found in the city.
And from the town he took the unsexed servant who was over the men of war, and five of the king's near friends who were in the town, and the scribe of the captain of the army, who was responsible for getting the people of the land together in military order, and sixty men of the people of the land who were in the town.
20 These Nabuzardan the general of the army took away, and carried them to the king of Babylon to Reblatha.
These Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, took with him to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Reblatha in the land of Emath: so Juda was carried away out of their land.
And the king of Babylon put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken away prisoner from his land.
22 But over the people that remained in the land of Juda, which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had left, he gave the government to Godolias the son of Ahicam the son of Saphan.
As for the people who were still living in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, did not take away, he made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler over them.
23 And when all the captains of the soldiers had heard this, they and the men that were with them, to wit, that the king of Babylon had made Godolias governor, they came to Godolias to Maspha, Ismael the son of Nathanias, and Johanan the son of Caree, and Saraia the son of Thanehumeth the Netophathite, and Jezonias the son of Maachathi, they and their men.
Now the captains of the armed forces, hearing that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah ruler, came with their men to Gedaliah at Mizpah; Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Seraiah, the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah, the son of the Maacathite, came with all their men.
24 And Godolias swore to them and to their men, saying: Be not afraid to serve the Chaldees: stay in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
Then Gedaliah gave his oath to them and their men, saying, Have no fear because of the servants of the Chaldaeans; go on living in the land under the rule of the king of Babylon, and all will be well.
25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ismael the son of Nathanias, the son of Elisama of the seed royal came, and ten men with him: and smote Godolias so that he died: and also the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him in Maspha.
But in the seventh month, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the king's seed, came with ten men and made an attack on Gedaliah, causing his death and the death of the Jews and the Chaldaeans who were with him at Mizpah.
26 And all the people both little and great, and the captains of the soldiers, rising up went to Egypt, fearing the Chaldees.
Then all the people, small and great, and the captains of the forces, got up and went away to Egypt, for fear of the Chaldaeans.
27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Joachin king of Juda, in the twelfth month the seven and twentieth day of the month: Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Joachin king of Juda out of prison.
And in the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin, king of Judah, had been taken prisoner, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in the first year of his rule, took Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison;
28 And he spoke kindly to him: and he set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon.
And said kind words to him, and put his seat higher than the seats of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
29 And he changed his garments which he had in prison, and he ate bread always before him, all the days of his life.
And his prison clothing was changed, and he was a guest at the king's table every day for the rest of his life.
30 And he appointed him a continual allowance, which was also given him by the king day by day, all the days of his life.
And for his food, the king gave him a regular amount every day for the rest of his life.
