2 Kings 25
1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. He set up camp around the city and built siege ramps against the walls.
And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built a mound all around about it.
2 The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
And the city was put in a state of siege until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat.
And on the ninth of the month, when the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land:
4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the soldiers escaped at night through the gate between the two walls by the king's garden, even though the Babylonians had the city surrounded. They ran away in the direction of the Arabah,
The city was broken into, and all the men of war [fled] in the night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; [while the Chaldeans were all round about the city; ] and the people went the way toward the plain.
5 but the Babylonian army chased after the king and caught up with him on the plains of Jericho. His whole army had scattered and left him.
And the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from around him.
6 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he was sentenced.
And they seized the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they called him to account.
7 They slaughtered Zedekiah's sons while he watched, and then gouged out his eyes, bound him in bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, an officer of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, came Nebusaradan, the chief of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
9 He burned down the Lord's Temple, the royal palace, and all the large buildings of Jerusalem.
And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house; also, all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.
10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the guard knocked down the walls around Jerusalem.
And the walls of Jerusalem round about did all the army of the Chaldeans that were with the captain of the guard tear down.
11 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, deported those who were left in the city, even those who had gone over to the side of the king of Babylon, as well as the rest of the population.
And the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the deserters that had run over to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebusaradan the captain of the guard lead away into exile;
12 But the commander of the guard allowed the poor people who were left in the country to stay and take care of the vineyards and the fields.
But from the poorest of the land the captain of the guard left some to be vine-dressers and husbandmen.
13 The Babylonians broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the movable carts, and the bronze Sea that belonged to the Lord's Temple, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
And the pillars of copper that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the copper sea that was in the house of the Lord, did the Chaldeans break up, and they carried the copper thereof to Babylon.
14 They also took all the pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, dishes, and all the other bronze items used in the Temple service.
And the pots, and the shovels, and the knives, and the spoons, and all the vessels of copper wherewith they ministered, took they away.
15 The commander of the guard removed the censers and bowls, anything that was made of pure gold or silver.
And the censers, and the bowls, the gold of the golden things, and the silver of the silver things, took the captain of the guard away.
16 The amount of bronze that came from the two columns, the Sea and the movable carts, which Solomon had made for the Lord's Temple, all of this weighed more than could be measured.
The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord: the copper of all these vessels was too much to be weighed.
17 Each column was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital on top of one column was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates around it. The second column was the same, and also had a decorative network.
Eighteen cubits was the height of the one pillar, and the capital upon it was copper; and the height of the capital was three cubits; and the wreathed work, and the pomegranates upon the capitals round about, were all of copper: and the same had the second pillar together with the wreathed work.
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest, second in rank, and the three Temple doorkeepers.
And the captain of the guard took Serayah the chief-priest, and Zephanyahu the second priest, and the three door-keepers;
19 From those left in the city he took the officer in charge of the soldiers, and five of the king's advisors. He also took the secretary to the army commander who was in charge of calling up the people for military service, and sixty other men who were present in the city.
And out of the city he took one court-officer that was appointed over the men of war, and five men of those that could come into the king's presence, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the chief of the army, who ordered to the army the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land that were found in the city:
20 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took them and brought them before the king of Babylon at Riblah.
And Nebusaradan the captain of the guard took these, and conducted them to the king of Babylon to Riblah;
21 The king of Babylon had them executed at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So the people of Judah had to leave their land.
And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Chamath. So did Judah wander away into exile out of their land.
22 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, appointed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over the people he had left in the land of Judah.
And as for the people that were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had left, he appointed over them Gedalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shaphan.
23 When all the army officers of Judah and their men learned that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they and their men met with Gedaliah at Mizpah. They included: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan, son of Kareah, Seraiah, son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah, son of the Maakathite.
And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedalyahu, they came to Gedalyahu to Mizpah; even Ishma'el the son of Nethanyah, and Jochanan the son of Kareach, and Serayah the son of Tanchumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazanyahu the son of a Ma'achathite, they and their men.
24 Gedaliah swore an oath to them and their men, telling them, “Don't be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Stay here in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and you'll be fine.”
And Gedalyahu swore to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Be not afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans: remain in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it will be well with you.
25 But in the seventh month, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of royal blood, came with ten men. They attacked and killed Gedaliah, along with the men of Judea and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.
But it happened in the seventh month, that there came Ishma'el the son of Nethanyah, the son of Elishama', of the seed royal, and ten men with him, and they smote Gedalyahu, so that he died, also the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah.
26 As a result, all the people, from the least to the greatest, along with the army commanders, ran away to Egypt, terrified of what the Babylonians would do.
And then arose all the people, from small to great, and the captains of the armies, and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
27 In the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison. This happened on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judah.
And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoyachin the king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth [day] of the month, that Evil-merodach the king of Babylon in the year that he became king did lift up the head of Jehoyachin the king of Judah out of the prison;
28 The king of Babylon treated him well him and gave him a position of honor higher than the other kings there with him in Babylon.
And he spoke kindly to him, and set his chair above the chair of the kings that were with him in Babylon:
29 So Jehoiachin was able to remove his prison clothes, and he ate frequently at the king's table for the rest of his life.
And changed his prison garments: and he ate bread continually before him all the days of his life.
30 The king provided Jehoiachin with a daily allowance for the rest of his life.
And his allowance was a continual allowance given him by the king, the necessary ration for the day on its day, all the days of his life.
