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.
It happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and camped against it; and they built forts against it around it.
2 The city remained under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
So the city was besieged to 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.
On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was severe in the city, so that 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,
Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city around it); and they went by the way of the Arabah.
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.
But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.
6 They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where he was sentenced.
Then they took the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment on him.
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.
They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, 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.
Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, to Jerusalem.
9 He burned down the Lord's Temple, the royal palace, and all the large buildings of Jerusalem.
He burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burnt he with fire.
10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the guard knocked down the walls around Jerusalem.
All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
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.
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the residue of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who fell to the king of Babylon, and the residue of the multitude.
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 the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
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.
The Chaldeans broke up the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD and the bases and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, and carried the bronze pieces to Babylon.
14 They also took all the pots, shovels, lamp snuffers, dishes, and all the other bronze items used in the Temple service.
They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the vessels of bronze with which they ministered.
15 The commander of the guard removed the censers and bowls, anything that was made of pure gold or silver.
The captain of the guard took away the fire pans, the basins, that which was of gold, in gold, and that which was of silver, in silver.
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 bronze of all these vessels was without weight.
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.
The height of the one pillar was thirty-one feet, and a capital of bronze was on it; and the height of the capital was eight feet seven inches, with network and pomegranates on the capital around it, all of bronze: and like to these had the second pillar with network.
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah, the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest, second in rank, and the three Temple doorkeepers.
The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold:
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 an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city.
20 Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guard, took them and brought them before the king of Babylon at Riblah.
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought 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.
The king of Babylon struck them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his 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.
As for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor.
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.
Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even 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, 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.”
Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, and said to them, "Do not be afraid 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 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 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah, so that he died, and 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.
All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came 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.
It happened in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Awil-Marduk king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of 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 throne above the throne of the kings who 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. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life:
30 The king provided Jehoiachin with a daily allowance for the rest of his life.
and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him of the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life.
